Divine Intervention
by CassieVulcan
Summary: Teruhashi and Saiki are meant to be together. It's already fated by the stars. However, they seem to be struggling to find each other, mingling in-between friend and acquaintance for years... It's so frustrating. Luckily, the heavens are invested in Teruhashi's happiness, and they are not afraid to give fate a little push. *Rating May Change*
1. Divine Intervention

Ch. 1

Kokomi Teruhashi is a perfect pretty girl. That's because she is incredibly beautiful on both the outside, and on the inside. Balanced. A girl as perfect as she could twirl through life on easy mode without a care in the world. One smile could get her discounts on all of her shopping. One strand of silky blue hair swaying in the wind could make jaws drop, and fans form. They would bow at her feet in the streets in front of their wives, their girlfriends, their children. It didn't matter. She was god's favorite angel, heaven made, queenly and lucky. Yes, her life was an easy one.

But that doesn't mean it was _always_ a happy one.

For instance, on one particular morning, way _way_ too early to be awake, Teruhashi found herself in despair. It was her first day of her third (and final) year of high school, and her brain was in overdrive. The night before had started off wonderfully. She had been so excited, her summer homework was completed, her lunch made, her uniform laid out and ready for the morning, and she was in bed before 8 p.m. Eager to begin the next chapter of her school days.

" _I wonder if Chiyo and Mera will be in the same class as me again this year? I hope so. And Kaido, Nendou, Aren and Hairo too. Hell, I'm even excited to see Saiki. It feels like we've seen so little of each other over the summer!"_

She smiled and nuzzled further into her warm blankets, pressing her suddenly warm cheeks into her pillow.

" _And maybe if I'm really lucky... Saiki will be in my class this year too. Maybe we can even sit next to each other this year."_

(She was tired of staring at the back of his head.)

It had been around this time when her thoughts took a steep turn downward. That handsome, mysterious, overly serious, pink haired boy did that to her from time to time. Wedged himself into her line of thoughts and stuck, like a piece of gum you can never fully scrape from the bottom of your shoe. When that happened she would toss and turn under her covers, never comfortable, never satisfied, and always wondering. Her dreams that night twisted back and forth, between sweet reunions and cold detachment. Purple eyes behind green lenses, staring at her blankly. They made her nervous.

" _Why does he always stare at me like that, instead of the way the other boys look at me? Does he not like me at all? I mean... he must at least think we're friends. Or does he find me annoying... Is he dating that Aiura girl? I don't know what to think!"_

How was she supposed to sleep now? The clock on her nightstand blinked 5:30 a.m, her stomach growled and her thoughts churned. There was no chance of her sleeping when she couldn't even tell if Kusuo Saiki wanted to be her friend let alone be her... be her...

No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

 _That_ was far too embarrassing to think about right now. What she needed to do was grab some breakfast, get ready for school, and then go for a nice walk through the quiet streets of Hidariwakibara-cho. This early in the morning was always a good time to enjoy peace and quiet before everyone else hit the shops, or began their walks to school and the offu's began. Plus, if she hurried, she wouldn't have to deal with her brother, who had a tendency to not leave her alone (ever) when he was home from work.

So she dressed in her school uniform, twirling once in admiration of her own beauty in front of the mirror before grabbing her bag and heading to the kitchen. Eggs and toast were the easiest thing to make quietly, so as to not wake her brother, and once she had scarfed them down with a glass of orange juice, she was out of the door, and on her way. Already, she was feeling relieved by the fresh morning air hitting her cheeks.

Her feet began leading her towards the park and wooded area slightly out of town. It wasn't her usual walking route, but she felt like nature was the better option as her thoughts from the night before continued to reel through her brain.

" _Aiura sure does spend a lot of time around Saiki... maybe they really are dating. Should I keep waiting for him? Trying to hint at him to make some kind of move? Or do I give up? Leave him alone..."_

The park was empty, though it was still early. Nearing almost 7:30 now as Teruhashi hummed and hawed, gazing at the flowers planted around the benches and trail entrances.

" _What if I baked him some sweets? Saiki loves sweets! I bet he might at least smile at me if I did,"_ her heart skipped a beat, " _It's not exactly an offu... but at least it's a start."_

She crouched down and ran her fingers over some of the prettier lilac colored flowers in one of the flower beds. She wasn't sure what it was called, but it smelled very sweet. It would probably have made a very nice perfume scent. Smiling softly, she dropped her hand from the petals and reached for another flower, this one much pinker in color. It reminded her of Saiki's hair...

Sighing out loud, Teruhashi clutched her hands together in front of her chest and closed her eyes, " _Hey god... I just - I just love him so much. I don't know what to do god. I want to be with him all of the time... I want to tell him everything, everything that's happened, everything I want to happen, and I want to know everything about him too. I don't know why god, but it feels very important to me."_ A single tear dripped from her eye, sliding down her cheek, " _Please god, am I asking too much? Please, just show me the way."_

Fortunately, as mentioned before, Teruhashi was God's favorite angel, and he had a very special place in his heart for her cries. Deciding it was time to give her destiny a good push in the right direction, he took matters into his own hands, and smiling down upon her beauty, he blew.

A strong, ominous wind suddenly began blowing through the park. Startled by the sheer force of it, Teruhashi's balance was thrown off, and she tumbled to the ground by the base of the flower bed she had been kneeling at. When the wind died down, (seemingly seconds later) she righted herself, rising to her feet and straightening out her skirt. Her eyes landed on a path trail she had never seen before. Confused, she glanced around the rest of the park. There were supposed to be seven small pathways, each of them looping through the forest and back around to the park in their own relaxing way. But now, when she counted them again, there were definitely eight. Not only that, but the flowers that marked the entrance at this trail were all roses! Beautiful pink, red and blue roses, blooming perfectly in their lush green bushels.

Curiosity got the better of her, and Teruhashi, deciding there was still plenty of time before school started, headed off down the path. Though she was quite sad she didn't have her camera on her, the roses that lined the path were even more beautiful as she got further and further from the park. 20 minutes went by and Teruhashi was feeling much happier, though the path was somewhat steep and upward, the burn in her calves took up much of her focus, and the flowers took up the rest.

Of course, that was until the crashes began.

" _Is that a demolition crew?"_ She thought to herself as the bangs got louder and louder as she approached, " _Maybe this pathway leads to a new subdivision or something."_ She could see an opening ahead, lined slightly with trees instead of more flowers and dirt, " _Well, I guess I am about to find out."_

The path ended with several thick trees blocking off a clearing that was drastically different than the park she had just came from. This clearing was barren, nothing around except several very large boulders and rubble. There wasn't even grass! It was like her pathway was from a whole other world, and she didn't even belong wherever it was that she was. Frowning in confusion, Teruhashi made to step around the tree blocking her way so she could enter the clearing and look around, when something insanely fast and bright pink whipped by her, and towards the boulders.

"S-Saiki?"

There he was. Kusuo Saiki, the man she loved. The man plaguing her thoughts. There he was, in the center of this clearing. But wait... how did he move so blindingly fast? And where were his odd hair pins she never saw him without? And was that a silver ring on his finger!?

Teruhashi couldn't believe her eyes. Saiki, here, all alone. God must have heard her prayers after all. She would have been crazy happy if she wasn't so darn confused. She had always known Saiki was athletic, but had he always been so fast that he blurred to the naked eye? Had he always been so strong that he could lift a boulder the size of a house with one hand and play catch, with himself, with said boulder? Was he always so talented that he could then pulverize the boulder into rubble with his bare hands as if it were nothing at all?

She couldn't take her eyes off of him, he was amazing, and terrifying. Was it him somehow making the rubble float and piece themselves back together so the boulder became whole once more? How was that even possible? Was he a wizard? A psychic? A superhero? Teruhashi was trying, but for the life of her she could not figure out what was going on.

But she kept watching. She watched him pause in the center of the clearing. He looked a little out of breath and dirty, but no more so than someone who had just spent hours in their garden on a hot sunny day. She wasn't even sure if he had broken a sweat... And then suddenly, the earth beneath her feet began to rumble.

"Huh?" Teruhashi grabbed onto the tree that was blocking her from Saiki's view to keep her balance and looked around her fearfully. " _Is this the part where the alien overlords come to fight to the death?"_

The earth rumbled again, she looked back to Saiki, only to find him crouched down now, both of his palms flat against the ground in the center of the clearing. The ground around him had begun to crack and an orange light was streaming through it. Intense heat washed over Teruhashi in a wave and the cause hit her like a ton of bricks. " _Volcano."_

Was he actually a superhero? Stopping an eruption to save his town? That was... that was so cool! Teruhashi could feel her heart beating harder in her chest, she gripped the tree harder, watching intensely as Saiki tried to hold the ground together where the lava was pushing to break through. He was amazing, but more and more ground was crumbling away, and smoke was beginning to rise in thick black curls, blocking Saiki from her sight briefly. His face looked pained.

"No," She breathed out, feeling the ground rumble again, stronger this time, "No! Saiki, stop! You'll die!" She didn't care that she wasn't supposed to see him like this, she didn't care that she wasn't as strong as him, she couldn't let him do this! She couldn't watch him die. But he clearly wasn't hearing her over the eruption, so with all the strength and the courage she could find in her body, Teruhashi let go of the tree she was holding onto for support and rushed forward. "SAIKI!"

Or at least that's what she had tried to do. What actually happened was that as she took her first step forward the volcano shook once more. Her whole world took a sudden sharp right incline and she tumbled, bouncing off one of the other trees and falling backwards, rolling down the hill she had so tirelessly climbed, until she was lying face first in the soft grass, at the park where she had began.

The ground wasn't shaking anymore. There was no intense heat and she couldn't smell smoke, but there was certainly a commotion all around her. She could hear several voices shouting around her, could feel people running closer. Were they running towards the earth quakes? She should warn them about the eruption.

"Miss are you alright?"

"Woah, look at that beautiful girl..."

"She sort of appeared as if from nowhere."

Teruhashi rolled over onto her back. Above her were the faces of at least 15 older men, all staring at her with concerned and curious faces. Why weren't they more concerned about the earth shaking!? What about the smoke? "Why aren't you running?"

One of the men raised a brow at her, "Why would we run from such an angel?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "No, why aren't you running from the eruption?"

The men glanced at each other in confusion before one of them spoke up, "Miss... did you hurt your head?"

" _Ok, i seriously don't have time for this."_ Teruhashi sighed and pushed herself up into a sitting position, forcing the men to back up off her slightly. Ignoring them as best as she could, she carefully got back up to her feet and turned to head back up the rose pathway, (Maybe Saiki really did stop the eruption) only... it wasn't there. She blinked several times. "Wasn't... where are the roses?"

She pushed past the men, rushing over to where the path should be, panic setting in quickly. "No, no, no, no, no. It should be here! Saiki!? Saiki, are you ok!?" She pushed through some of the trees, moving away vines and bushes to try and find the dirt path. The group of men that had gathered around stared at her... was she crazy?

"Um..." One of the men stepped forward and carefully reached out to stop Teruhashi from digging up any more bushes, "Are you lost miss? Did you get separated from your friend?"

Teruhashi whirled around, eyes a little crazy and tears threatening to spill over. "Don't touch-!" She began to shout, but then she saw the concerned expressions on the men's faces. A perfect pretty girl would never yell at these nice men that were only concerned for her well being. "I..." She took a deep breath, and then another. She wasn't going to be any help for Saiki like this, she had to use her own skills. " _Ok then... time for some Angel Tears."_ She closed her eyes, pushing the tears past her lids and letting them slide down her cheeks in wet streams, before opening them again, "Yes... My friend Saiki. He's somewhere up the hill, and I think he's really hurt. Would you please help me find him?"

The men's faces were bright red, but they leaped into action for her immediately.

"Of course! We'll hunt through this whole forest to find your friend, don't you worry!"

"Yes, please miss, don't tire yourself out on this, leave it it us!"

"Please miss, go have a seat and rest on one of the benches, we will find your friend in no time!"

And so Teruhashi found herself sat comfortably on the park bench closest to the fountain. One of the men had fetched her a blanket and another had bought her a drink to enjoy before they had all taken off into the woods, shouting Saiki's name. She was still worried about Saiki, of course, but she was also tired and sore from her fall. So she sat, wondering if he was really ok, wondering what she would say to his mother if he wasn't, wondering what she would say to the guys if he wasn't... But no, of course he was ok. He was probably just a little burned and very tired. The men would find him. They would find him.

Hours ticked by. Every now and then one of the search party members would come out and tell her there was no sign of anyone in a specific part of the wood, and she would tell him again that they should be looking for a dirt path, up a hill, lined with roses. The man would usually mumble something about not seeing any of that either before Teruhashi sniffled and he would stammer and then rush back into the wood. She found herself eating her prepared school lunch in the park, on her bench, staring blankly at the water in the fountain. There was no sign of Saiki.

The sun was starting to get low in the sky, and the men were standing before her bench, tired and dirty, panting like dogs in desperate need of water. "We're sorry Teruhashi, we failed you!" They chanted to her in unison, bowing low in shame. She could only stare. "We tried to find your friend, we swear we did! But we looked everywhere and he is not in the forest. Maybe he went home, or something?"

She knew they were just trying to help, but she was so angry at them. Saiki was probably dead. Sacrificed to save them all and no one would ever know or believe her if she tried to explain what she saw. She was so angry... why couldn't they have brought him back to her?

"..." She tried to thank the men. She really did, but her shoulders had started to shake, and large wet tears were streaming down her cheeks. Her voice kept catching in her throat every time she tried to speak or breathe properly, so she buried her face in her hands instead, and she cried. Loud, heaving, wet sobs that wracked her body and hurt her lungs. The men began to panic, wanting to console her and not knowing what to do. But there was nothing they could do. Saiki was dead. Saiki was dead and there was nothing anyone could do.

Time slipped by. She wasn't sure how much, but one of the men must have gone into her bag and taken out her phone to call her emergency contact (her brother), because suddenly there he was. Makoto was a wreck when he finally managed to push his way past the crowd gathered around her, screaming at them to get away from his baby sister. She wanted to tell him to go away, or at least to not be so rude to the nice men that had been helping her all day, but her voice hadn't come back yet. So when he lifted her into his arms and carried her over to a limo waiting at the entrance of the park, she just let him, trying to take comfort in his familiarity.

He consoled her, attempting to hold and cuddle her the whole ride home in the back of the limo, but that was pushing it so she kicked him hard in his stomach, and curled into a ball next to the window, ignoring his whining.

"Kokomi... always so mean to your big brother..."

"Shut up."

The sun had set fully when they pulled into their driveway. Makoto leaped from the car, practically before it had even stopped, and rushed to open her door for her, offering his hand to help her out. "Come Kokomi, I'll take you to bed and we can cuddle up together and you can tell your big brother all of your problems-"

"No." Teruhashi stepped out of the car, ignoring his hand, "Leave me alone, Makoto."

Her brother clutched at his chest as if she had shot him through the heart, "Kokomi! Don't say such things, you know it is I who loves you the most in this entire world-"

"Please just stop." Teruhashi sighed and unlocked the front door, "I don't want to put up with this tonight."

"Hmph," Makoto crossed his arms and pouted, but followed her into the house without any arguments. He kicked off his shoes quickly and immediately headed off towards the kitchen. "Will you at least tell me why you didn't go to school at all for your first day of second year?"

Teruhashi kicked off her shoes more slowly, "Third year."

"Don't get ahead of yourself Kokomi. You're a smart girl, but not skip a whole year smart." Makoto laughed merrily, "Anyway, your teacher called the house so I know it's second year. You're in class three this year, by the way."

Feeling like her whole body was suddenly frozen in the doorway, Teruhashi stared down at her feet. A very weird feeling was starting to wash over her, "But... didn't I just complete my second year exams?"

"Uh yeah," Makoto called from what sounded like their living room now, "This will be your fourth year doing your second year of high school, just like everyone else."

Her brain hurt. What was going on? Did she go back in time? Did she lose her memory, hit her head? Was Saiki actually super powered, and dead? Was she going crazy? She didn't have any of the answers.

"I have to go," She whispered, to no one in particular as she pushed her feet back into her shoes. Her brother was rambling about some movie he was going to star in next, so she left her bag in the porch and then took off. Out of the house and back down the street. Just one answer. She just needed one answer, and then maybe she could even get some sleep tonight. Just one...

She knew the way by heart at this point, having attended a few Christmas', some cooking lessons and a few birthday parties there through the last several years. It was no more than a 30 minute walk, so with her running like this, passing both Kaido's and Nendou's houses in a blur, she made it in 15. The Saiki household.

There were lights on... " _Oh thank god."_ She really didn't want to wake them up. Pressing her thumb into their doorbell, Teruhashi held it there, panting slightly as she caught her breath. She could see shadows moving in one of the windows, someone was coming towards the door. " _Oh..."_ She released the doorbell, " _Please..."_

The door swung open, and there, standing in the yellowish light from inside, wearing a turtleneck sweater and a green apron... was Mrs. Saiki. Saiki's mom.

"Oh! Teruhashi! What are you doing here so late at night?" Mrs Saiki rushed over to the gate, smiling as brightly and cheerful as ever, "You know its a school night right?"

Teruhashi smiled politely, "I'm so sorry to disturb you, I was just wondering if Saiki was home?"

Mrs Saiki beamed even brighter at her, "Of course Ku-chan is home! He's always home!" She turned her head and called over her shoulder loudly, "Ku-chaaan~! You have a guest!"

Her heart was thudding incredibly fast. He was here? He was alive? Maybe she really was just crazy and all that had happened today was just some crazy dream, that had felt so incredibly real -

The light from inside the house dimmed a bit and Teruhashi looked up, her breath catching in her throat. There he was... pink hair, green lenses, hair pins... he was all here. Saiki eyed her with his usual seriously bored expression as he began to walk over to the gate where his mother was still talking to her, though Teruhashi wasn't really sure what she was saying. She could feel tears welling in her eyes again, and there was definitely a lump in her throat.

 _Teruhashi._

His voice! Suddenly unable to hold back the tears, Teruhashi shook her head and lunged forward. A look of shock widened Saiki's eyes as she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him forward so they were both bent over the top of the gate in a tight and awkward embrace neither of them were fully prepared for. Mrs Saiki mumbled something and then retreated quickly back into the house, leaving them alone.

 _Teruhashi..._ Saiki's voice whispered after a minute of her clutching onto him and crying, _are you ok?_

She nodded and laughed wetly into his shoulder, "I'm sorry, I just had a really weird day and it's just so good to see you. I missed you."

He didn't say anything and she wished he would hug her back, even if he wrapped one arm around her instead of leaving both stiffly at his sides like he was doing. " _Oh... I'm probably making him uncomfortable... I guess this can wait till the morning. As long as he's alive."_

She pulled away from him, almost laughing at the stiff and ruffled look he was giving her. "Sorry, I promise not to do that again. I'll see you tomorrow at school, Saiki."

He nodded at her and watched stoically as she made her way back down the street, towards her house. At the end of the street she turned, smiling when she saw he was still there, watching her. She waved and he lifted his hand to wave back, she noticed a glint of silver on his hand. It was the ring from before.

Her smile faded as Saiki turned and walked back into his house. _That ring... so it was real? Then that means... that means that Saiki..._

Boy was this about to be the start of an interesting school year.


	2. Asking the Right Questions

Ch. 2 - Asking the Right Questions

Kusuo Saiki was pretty sure something was off with Teruhashi. Coming to his home so late at night? Hugging him? It had been the wrong day to choose to wear his germanium ring. Not being able to read her thoughts when she was acting so strangely...

Not only that but she had been absent from school yesterday. Though normally he would consider that none of his business, (she could have had a family emergency or gotten a bad case of the flu) it was very unusual for her to miss the very first day of a new school year. And she had said she missed him. Yes, there was definitely something strange going on.

"Ku~!" Kurumi, his mother, knocked gently on his bedroom door before peeking inside, "You're going to be late for school."

What a silly thing to remind someone with the ability to teleport somewhere in a matter of seconds, but he supposed she was right. He should probably start walking now so he could avoid bumping into Nendou, Kaido, and Aren on their shared route. Plus, since he had been too tired to focus any energy figuring out what Teruhashi had been up to the night before after his lengthy power usage at the volcano, he wanted to get to school early. Scope things out as it were.

Better to be prepared, makes it easier to avoid things you don't want to deal with.

Teruhashi hadn't slept well. She really thought knowing Saiki was alive would be enough to calm her nerves. Plus, since she had slept so horribly the night before, it only seemed fair that her brain should shut itself off for 8 blissful hours of blackout REM sleep. Of course, that's not what she got.

Instead, when she did sleep she dreamed of memories. Little things she had thought she had forgotten just kept flooding back to her and clicking into place inside of her brain. Hadn't Saiki once appeared out of thin air and saved her from a vicious bear with a single punch? She had thought she was dreaming, but it had all felt so real...

And then, of course, there was the time he dodged every attempt she had made to tap him on the shoulder during their first meeting. It had been like he could read her mind! Then he simply vanished, not an illusion, but some sort of teleportation, and that just opened up a whole new can of worms. What other miracles had been because of Saiki? She felt like there was an ever-growing list of coincidences she just couldn't get out of her head.

The typhoon during their class trip that just suddenly vanished. The plane turbulence and Takashi's horrible illness just stopping as if they had never started to begin with. There really was no way they should have survived that ship crash either, but somehow they all made it out alive, without even a scratch, and all of those convenient things just kept washing up on shore...

" _Oh no... I really am going crazy aren't I?"_ Teruhashi sighed. Sunlight was creeping in through the blinds over her window, and she knew her alarm was about to blare into her ear, but unlike the day before, today she really didn't want to get out of bed. " _What am I supposed to do? Just walk up to him and ask him if he has superpowers?"_

She groaned and pulled the covers over her head, " _Maybe I should just stay home. After all, this is my fourth year of year 2, haven't I learned everything by now?"_

"Kokomi! Wake up, my precious sister!" Makoto was knocking rapidly on her door, "I have prepared you a breakfast worthy of a queen and the limo can take you to school today! I want to make sure everything is perfect for you after that mess of a day yesterday-"

He just kept going. Talking and talking through the door. Well, it looked like she wasn't going to be able to get out of going to school today. She was either going to have to confront Saiki or avoid him. She didn't want him to think she was crazy and start hating her... how do you avoid someone who might have superpowers?

"Kokomi!"

She groaned and got out of bed, " _Scratch all of that. How do you properly avoid someone you're related to by blood, that lives in your house?"_

This was bad. This was very, very, very bad.

Saiki hadn't managed to avoid his so-called "friends" on the trip to school at all. Seriously, how could he be called a psychic if he couldn't avoid people? Well, it probably didn't help that it was impossible to read Nendou's mind.

"Hey partner," Nendou clapped Saiki on the shoulder, grinned broadly in a way that made his hideous face look even more unnatural, "You wanna get some ramen after school today?"

"Saiki doesn't want to get ramen every day, Nendou," Kaido rolled his eyes, running a heavily bandaged hand through his pale blue hair, "He wants to come and check out the abandoned building I found over the summer. I highly suspect it might be the headquarters of Dark Reunion and if we act quickly-"

"Ey, ey, maybe let Saiki actually answer before you go spewing out weird stuff," Aren laughed and patted Kaido affectionately on the head, "Besides, I'm always hungry right after school, so ramen sounds good to me!"

Saiki sighed internally, he didn't really want to do anything after school besides return home and be alone, but he was sure somehow, something would stop him from doing so. Just like most days in his disastrous life. At least traveling with a former delinquent turned regular student, an insanely disliked idiot with a butt chin, and an 11th grader with chinobu, caused other people to steer clear from him. They were almost like his own personal bodyguards. If only he actually wanted them around.

"Hmph, whatever," Kaido stepped out of Aren's reach, straightening (or rather re-messing) his hair, "Hey, did anyone hear if Teruhashi will be in school today?"

"Oh yeah, she was absent yesterday wasn't she," Aren scratched his chin in thought, "I actually heard a rumor she was transferring to a better school."

"Well, I heard a rumour she's deathly sick with a contagious illness, so no one can visit her in the hospital," Kaido's eyes were gleaming a little too brightly for such a dark statement, "She'll probably need some hero to go out and find a rare cure and bring it back in just the nick of time to-"

 _No, stop. Teruhashi is not dying, let's not go through this again._

"Huh?" Kaido blinked at Saiki, "Oh... yeah, I guess you're right. She probably just had a family emergency or something."

Nendou looked from one of his friends to another slowly, "So... are we gonna get ramen after school or what?"

 _Good grief._

If he thought his morning, forced to deal with his friends, was bad, Saiki was surely in for the shock of his life when they finally arrived at the school. The Teruhashi fan club had gathered by the gates, and just barely seen in the center was a glowing aura of light. Teruhashi had made it to school today after all. Only, frustratingly enough, there were so many other students crowded around her Saiki couldn't properly make out her thoughts from the rest.

He had wanted to come to his conclusion about her weird behavior early on, so as to get it over with. But he also really didn't want to wait around or shift through perverted, love-struck thoughts to find hers. So he followed Kaido, Nendo, and Aren into the school. He could figure out what was wrong with her at lunch if she didn't give it away during class.

Saiki was beginning to get more and more frustrated. Teruhashi's brain had never been this blank and confusing to him before. She had made it to her seat in the classroom just before the bell went off for class, and then she had focused incredibly hard on everything the teacher was saying. Taking careful, detailed notes of every word. What was she hiding from him? No that didn't make sense. How could she hide something from him without knowing that he could hear her?

Something had definitely happened to Teruhashi the day before, and when lunch came around and she disappeared into the crowds of her fan club and their horrendous thoughts once more, Saiki was sure whatever it was, wasn't a good thing.

Kaido and Aren were playing go fish on Kaido's desk and Nendou was slurping down his lunch (noodles in a cup) while watching them with a dopey Nendou grin on his face. Saiki didn't really care what the three of them were doing, but he sat with them anyway. Picking slowly at the rice balls his mother had packed for him, going over what he knew again and again.

" _I just had a really weird day, and it's so good to see you. I missed you."_

She missed him. What was that supposed to mean? Hadn't he seen her at least three times over the summer? And what had made the day so weird anyway?

"Chiyo told me she heard Teruhashi spent the entire day at the park yesterday," Kaido said suddenly, scrolling through his phone slowly while Aren went over his cards. "That's why she wasn't in school."

"Why would she spend the entire day at the park?" Aren asked, "Do you have any fours?"

"Go fish," Kaido shrugged and put away his phone, "I don't know. Chiyo just texted me saying Mera heard from one of the girls that she works with at the maid cafe downtown that Teruhashi had been seen crying on a park bench all day. She also said that a large group of men apparently were doing a search of the woods beside the park, and it seemed like they were reporting to her about it."

Aren frowned, pushing his glasses up his nose, "That's really weird... who could they have been looking for?"

Saiki could read the thoughts going through all three of his friend's minds.

" _Did someone take advantage of Teruhashi in the woods!?"_

" _Is that why she's walking around with her fan club? For protection? I could do much better than any of those weaklings."_

" _..."_

Ok, well two of their thoughts.

His own thoughts immediately went back to last night, she had been in her school uniform... it had been dirty and wrinkled. Why was she still wearing her school uniform so late at night, when she hadn't even been to school?

Saiki's finger twitched and the chopsticks in his hands cracked into splinters, ruining his lunch. He didn't care. His blood was boiling. Is that what happened? Was that why she was acting so weird, and why she had sought him out for comfort? Someone took advantage of her in the woods before school.

"Where are you going, partner?" Nendou asked as Saiki stood up and moved his chair back to his own desk, "Gotta take a shit?"

Saiki ignored him, stuffing his barely eaten lunch back into his bag, he briskly walked from the classroom. Being this angry wasn't good, he could lose control of strength, or god forbid his pyrokinesis. But he was so so angry. Not just at whoever had done this, but at himself. If he hadn't been wearing the germanium ring, he would have known. He could have comforted her better last night, or he could have gotten the guy's face from her mind and pummeled the ever loving crap out of him. Just enough so that he could never hurt another girl again. Heck, he probably could have even stopped it, if it had happened before 10 a.m. when the volcano erupted he could have saved her and then sent time back.

Why hadn't he saved her?

—-

Teruhashi wasn't exactly sure what she was doing. Normally she would never spend so much time with her own fan club, but once she had gotten to school she found she could barely breathe. Saiki would be here. Saiki would be here and she still didn't know how to face him. She didn't even know the extent of his powers, what if he was angry that she found out?

She just needed a little more time... And her fan club was at least a good distraction from thinking about Saiki. They always had so many silly questions. What's your favorite color? Favorite flower? Drink? Sports team? Video game? Book? Where do you sleep, bottom or top floor? How long does it take to be so beautiful in the morning? What did she think about the summer homework? Had she gone to the beach at all this summer?

She knew some of them only wanted to know the answers for... not so nice reasons. But answering every one of them was making the whole group so happy. At least she could do that right for today. Plus it kept everyone else at bay. Though she did feel bad for Chiyo, her best friend, and the one person she really did want to talk to right now. But Chiyo was friends with Saiki too, and couldn't keep secrets from Kaido to save her soul. She just couldn't risk it.

When class started she made sure to focus as hard as she could on the lesson. She had missed a day, but she was a good student. A perfect pretty girl who was smart too. It was easy to let her worries go and think only about the words coming from the teacher's mouth. It was harder not to stare at the back of Saiki's head, but somehow she managed.

" _I'm handling this day really well,"_ She smiled to herself in her head at lunch, while listening to one of the boys in her fan club tell her some story from his summer vacation. " _You can do this Kokomi, just be strong."_

A hand clamped down on her shoulder and she squeaked in fear, turning her head sharply to stare at Kusuo Saiki. "O-oh," She forced herself to smile, "Hi, Saiki." She couldn't read his expression, was he angry? Sad? His eyes definitely looked darker than usual, but he just stared at her. Was he immune to all the death glares he was getting from her fans? "D-do..." She cleared her throat and tried again, "Do you need something?"

He tipped his head towards the cafeteria doors leading outside into the courtyard.

" _Alone!?"_ Panic raced through her and she bit her lip, trying desperately to come up with some excuse. She wasn't ready, not now... But Saiki's grip on her shoulder relaxed a little, became less demanding and more reassuring. His gaze softened as well.

 _Please._

"U-uh..." Teruhashi could feel a cold sweat forming on her brow, but she nodded and smiled warmly to the angry men of her fan club, "I'll be right back guys, just wait for me here ok?"

Her fans looked a little dejected, but they let Saiki lead her away with nothing more than an "Ok Teruhashi..."

And that was it... they were alone. No one was outside eating lunch, no one was trying to sneak a smoke, in-between classes. It was just her and Saiki, standing under the only cherry blossom tree in the courtyard, staring at each other.

—

He didn't know what to say. His anger was still burning, but something... some part of his was breaking too. They were right. Based on her thoughts and her behavior they were all 100% right about what had happened to Teruhashi the day before. Even now, though she was normally shy and bashful when alone with him, she wouldn't even fully look him in the eye. Instead, her focus was mainly on pulling at the bow at the front of her uniform and staring nervously at the ground.

" _I'm sorry Saiki... I didn't mean for it to happen. Oh god, how do I even say this to him?"_

Saiki's heart thudded painfully, she looked so broken. How could he help her? It was far too late to use his memory erasing power, and he couldn't erase enough time to completely rid this from her brain anyway. No, he had to comfort her himself. He had to...

 _It's not your fault Teruhashi._

She looked up at him, biting her lip again, "I didn't mean to-"

He reached out and grabbed her hands. She stilled, eyes wide, going back and forth from his face to his hands, holding hers. She was trembling. _You absolutely can't blame yourself for this._

" _He... he's not mad."_ Teruhashi breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought you would hate me."

Saiki furrowed his brow in confusion, _Why would I ever hate you?_

Her thoughts hit him before her words did. Freezing him in place.

" _Because I saw you stop the eruption."_

"I wasn't sure I was supposed to see you... do all of that."

Shock.

That was a new thing.


	3. If I Tell You, I'll Have To Kill You

Ch. 3 - If I Tell You I'll have to Kill You

Saiki's hands slipped out from her own. He took a step back. The shock on his face so clear, even to Teruhashi, it might have been funny if the situation they were in wasn't so serious. Plus, her brain was starting to hurt again. Confusion was really a bitch. Didn't he just say it wasn't her fault and that he would never hate her?

"Uh," She laughed nervously, clutching the bottom of her skirt with both hands, "I'm sorry, was that not what we were talking about?"

Saiki stood frozen, mouth slightly agape. Did she break him? Maybe he was actually a robot, not a wizard or an alien, and he wasn't programmed to be found out like this. No, that was even more ridiculous than the fact that he was even able to do all those amazing things she had seen him do. Teruhashi figured he just wasn't prepared at all to be found out by anyone, let alone her. The prettiest girl in the school.

" _Maybe this will be like a dream come true to him! Finally finding someone who he can share all of his secrets, and it's just a bonus that that person is as pretty and as sweet as me!"_ She smiled, a little more confidently.

"Saiki? Are you ok?"

—-

Really? Really.

She finds out that her classmate is an all powerful ESP user, and her thoughts immediately turn to a perfect pretty girl love fantasy?

Saiki didn't know what to do. This couldn't possibly get any more bad could it? Of all his friends that could stumble upon him being psychic, it had to be the one that was desperately in love with him, and drew in more crowds than the most famous of movie stars (her brother). If she had seen him at the volcano, which didn't even make any sense, because how did she even get there, then she had known for well over 24 hours now. He had no hope of erasing her memories, and judging from the images that kept popping up in her mind, she was not exaggerating when she said she saw _everything_. He had no way out.

No way out.

"Saiki?"

Except to-

He teleported. Arriving in his bedroom a mere point of a second later. It was probably rude and stupid of him to do, plus he left all of his belongings at school, but what did it matter? He had to figure out how to fix this and fast or he was never going back there again. Plus teleporting in front of Teruhashi, didn't really matter anymore did it. She already knew.

She knew.

Saiki slumped onto his bed, burying his face in his hands.

—

Teruhashi blinked stupidly at the blank space where Saiki had just been. "Ok well..." she hummed to herself, "I guess that could have gone better." " _It could have gone a lot worse too though..."_

She sighed, turning around and heading back into the school. Lunch was almost over and she still had to get through two more classes before she could even think about going home. " _I guess we can add teleport to the ever growing list of things that Kusuo Saiki can do."_ She smiled at her fans when she re-entered the cafeteria and they immediately surrounded her again, leading her back to their table. " _And I can assume by his reaction... probably a good idea not to tell anyone else about this either."_

The rest of her day went by uneventfully. Though she was confused when Kaido and Aren offered their body guarding services to her. She declined their offer, letting them know gently that she could take care of herself, surprised when they both tearfully clapped her shoulders. "Of course you can, you're a strong girl Teruhashi." "Yeah, we're lucky to have you around!"

Ok... but that was it. Saiki didn't return for the rest of the day, and though the teacher mentioned that he "went home sick", she couldn't help but notice his bag, still hanging from his desk. She would be willing to bet money that his shoes were still in his locker as well.

"Kokomi!" Chiyo ran up to her when the last bell rang and school finally let out, "I feel like I haven't seen you all day! Where have you been?"

Teruhashi smiled at her friend, "I've been here, just got surrounded by some boys at lunch. Sorry about ignoring you."

"That's ok," Chiyo shrugged, hoisting her bag a little higher on her shoulder, "You wanna walk home together? We can talk about whatever you want~"

"I would love to," Teruhashi giggled, "But, I think I'm gonna take Saiki his bag. He must have forgotten it when he went home sick earlier."

"Oh," Chiyo pouted, "There isn't anything super important you want to tell me about?"

Teruhashi blinked, "Um... not really. I'm sorry, should there be?"

Oddly enough Chiyo looked very relieved to hear her say that, "No, that's ok. I was just kind of worried after you didn't show up yesterday."

"Oh that," Teruhashi shrugged, "I just got caught up with some stuff in the park. Nothing serious happened though, it was really irresponsible of me to miss school though. My brother was really angry with me."

Chiyo frowned, "Well, you won't do it again, so I guess all's well that ends well." She paused, glancing behind her at the front of the class, where Kaido stood alone, messing with his bag. "So... if you're going to be going to Saiki's..."

Teruhashi grinned, "Why don't you go ask Kaido if he will walk you home? Just tell him I wasn't able to walk with you like usually." She winked and Chiyo giggled nervously.

"Ok, ok," She straightened her red bow in her short auburn hair carefully and then took a deep, calming breath, "I'll see you tomorrow ok?"

Teruhashi waved, "Yeah, see you." And then Chiyo was gone, probably unaware that Aren and Nendou would most likely be accompanying her as well, but oh well. She might at least get to sit next to her crush when they all ended up eating ramen somewhere downtown. Right now her life was far easier than Teruhashi's. But that was ok.

What girl didn't want a little excitement?

What was he supposed to do in this situation?

He, an all powerful psychic, who should have the ability to get out of this mess, was trembling at his own doorway. Saiki felt pathetic. Shouldn't he feel invincible? God really was punishing him.

The doorbell rang again. With his x-ray vision Saiki could already see Teruhashi standing at the gate. She knew he was home, so she wasn't going to go away, and with his forgotten belongings firmly in her possession, she had a very good excuse for being here. It was only a matter of time before she was let into the house. Saiki just wasn't sure if he should get it over with, or let her wait out there until his father came home from work in an hour.

Kurumi Saiki stood behind her son, slowly stirring a pot of sauce she was making to go with the night's supper and watching as he raised his hand to the door knob, only to drop it again, back to his side. Were his fingers trembling? She wasn't sure what to do to help in this situation, so she just stayed behind. Stirring a pot that didn't really need to be stirred any further.

Saiki sighed. Two women. Two women were annoying the hell out of him right now. The question was what to do about it. The doorbell rang again, and Teruhashi's thoughts were getting a little more impatient. Maybe he should teleport to England. Pay his delightful older brother a visit.

Woah, no. Saiki shook his head, now he was just thinking crazy thoughts. Whatever it was that was going to happen here with Teruhashi, was probably ten times better than whatever stupid game his brother would make him compete in.

He hoped.

Finally, his fingers curled around the door knob. Turning it slowly. This was his last chance to teleport...

"Saiki!" Teruashi's smile was bright and happy, but he knew better, " _15 minutes is an awful long time to keep a lady waiting Saiki..."_

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He could have made her wait an hour. Walking quickly over to the gate, he swung it open and then turned on his heel and went straight back inside. Just because she was getting her way, didn't mean she had to get it exactly how she pictured it. He even let her carry his bag and his shoes inside the house herself.

Teruhashi set down Saiki's belongings just inside their doorway with a tired little huff and then beamed up at the two Saiki's staring at her from a short distance down the hall. "Sorry to interrupt your day, but Saiki went home sick and left all of his stuff at school so I thought I would do the right thing and bring them over to him."

Saiki sighed and crossed his arms, _My mom knows I'm a psychic, Teruhashi._

She blinked, "O-oh, we're just gonna get right to it are we," She laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head.

Kurumi frowned, "I'm sorry," Her gaze whipped back and forth between her son and this beautiful girl, "Do... do you know about Ku-Chan's powers?"

Teruhashi's cheeks were going red, "I didn't mean to find out, I just," She sighed and fidgeted with the strap of her own bag, "I'm sorry, I just don't really know what's going on and I have a lot of questions."

" _Where did these powers come from? Have you always had them? Why don't you tell anyone? You could be famous, rich! Wanted by everyone in the entire school, no the world!"_

Saiki's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. It had to be Teruhashi. How was he supposed to explain to her that all he ever wanted was to be left alone, to live a normal life? There was no way she could possibly understand-

" _But instead you just help people in secret... and that probably makes you the kindest person in the world,"_ Teruhashi's nervous smile was wavering, but her heart was beating so hard. " _How could I have been afraid of him for even a moment? He's still Saiki, and I still-"_

She wasn't afraid of him.

So is that your game then god?

Saiki was still staring at her blankly. She was starting to feel queasy. "Um..." She coughed, breaking the silence that had fallen between the three of them, "May I come in?"

Kurumi Saiki gasped, "Oh gosh, we've been so rude!" She whacked her son with the pot she was stirring, sloshing about whatever was inside slightly, "Ku-Chan, show Teruhashi to the living room. We'll answer any questions she has, ok?"

Saiki turned his piercing gaze onto his mother. He said nothing and yet Kurumi nodded twice, like she was listening to him. When their odd exchange was over, Kurumi smiled sweetly at Teruhashi before heading back into the kitchen, leaving the two schoolmates alone. Feeling weird again, Teruhashi slipped out of her shoes and took a couple of steps further, into their house. Saiki didn't make a move.

Should she say something? Remind him that he was supposed to show her to the kitchen, or maybe promise that she wasn't going to tell anyone his secret?

Saiki's lips twitched as if he wanted to smile, but he remained stoic.

 _Good. If you do tell anyone, I'll have to kill you..._

Teruhashi blinked in surprise, "W-wha-"

His lips twitched again, and then slowly he uncrossed his arms and motioned her further into the house, towards the living room. Feeling some of the tension break away, Teruhashi hurried after him, eager to finally get answers to her questions.

Their living room was modest, mostly just a tv and a sofa. Though Teruhashi did take a long and confused look at a display case with nothing but two life sized mannequins of Saiki's father, posed behind the glass. There were only pictures of the two adult Saiki's hung up on the wall, she wondered why that was?

 _Because even a one year old psychic that wants to be left alone can avoid a camera._

She whipped around, startled. Saiki was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed, watching her carefully. His voice always rung in her head so clearly, and this was the second time he had addressed something she was thinking about directly. Could he read her mind as well...?

 _Yes,_ Saiki nodded, _Telepathy is my most used power. Next question._

Teruhashi gasped, "Wait! I technically didn't ask a question, I just thought one! That doesn't count!"

Surprisingly Saiki looked amused at this, _It's not like I gave you a question limit, Teruhashi._

She blinked. " _Oh... that's right, he didn't. Wait a minute, were his lips moving when he spoke?"_

Saiki shook his head, _I'm speaking to you using telepathy. You're only hearing my voice in your head, and before you ask, yes, that is how I_ _always_ _speak._

"To everyone?"

 _To everyone._

Teruhashi nodded, if she thought hard enough about it, it made sense. She was pretty sure she had never seen Saiki's lips move once when he spoke, if he spoke at all. This was probably the most she had ever heard his voice. But now wasn't the time to focus on that, she had questions that she needed answers to, Saiki was here, and he was going to answer them.

From the moment she walked through the door Saiki had already decided against telling her lies. What was the point? She had seen him use his powers on more than one occasion now. He was quite sure there was no lie he could come up with that would get him safely out of this mess, and after hours sitting, sometimes pacing, sometimes levitating, in his room trying to figure out how to fix it, ironically the easiest answer might just have been to not.

After all, Teruhashi was in love with him. He could hear it in her thoughts and the beating of her heart even now. He had been so scared of her mere hours ago, but for what? If he answered all her questions, revealed to her everything that he could do and she still loved him, then didn't that mean it would be easy to convince her to keep his secret? Yes, the easiest answer, if the most annoying, was right under his nose this whole time.

Sure it was going to be annoying to have a third person at school know who he was, he thought as he watched her stare at the life sized mannequins of his father in confusion. And it was certainly going to be annoying having that person be Teruhashi, of all people. But this was ok, this was controllable. His mother was right, he would be fine.

" _It's not going to hurt you to have a friend that knows what you're going through Ku!"_ She had thought to him before heading off into the kitchen, " _And it certainly won't be bad since it's such a pretty girl!"_

Ok, it was possible that his mother just wanted him to get a girlfriend.

" _Grandchildren! I had given up all hope at having little psychic grand babies, but now she's here! Oh Ku~"_

Yeah, that seemed to be her main concern.

Teruhashi sat down beside him on the sofa. Was she really that pretty? He could admit that he admired and respected her as a person. He would even call her a friend, or as close to a friend as he wanted to have, but all he could see when he looked at her was muscle and bone. It was hard for him to get a good look at this so called, perfect pretty girl, when he only got to see her face in two second intervals.

But she had no way of knowing that. Her muscle/bone head nodding along with him as she questioned what he could do, and he began listing off his powers for her. Watching her jaw drop a little further after each new one.

 _Telepathy, teleportation, astral projection, invisibility, pyrokinesis, telekinesis, clairvoyance, precognition -_

How was this not overwhelming her senses? She must be a very strong woman to be able to take all of this in stride. Or at least stubborn, he glanced at her hands that were shaking in her lap. Yeah, stubborn was much more like it.

But still... He glanced above her head where he had left his likability rating hanging above her for some time. The numbers in the heart shaped meter barely moved, 100 blinking out to a 98 at worst and then blinking back to 100 again before he even finished explaining a power. What was that even supposed to mean?

Teruhashi had really hoped this would clear up her headaches, not give her new ones. But she was learning so much about Saiki, she couldn't possibly be disappointed. Even though he could do so much... he was still Kusuo Saiki. The man that wouldn't offu, the man that changed everything, the man that she-

"Ok," She breathed out slowly, leaning back so her head was resting on the back of the sofa, "Ok, so you can do a lot."

 _Yeah._

"And Toritsuka and Aiura have powers too just not as many or as powerful as yours."

 _Correct._

"And besides them, I'm the only one at school that knows about any of you."

 _Besides everyone at school knowing about Toritsuka and Aiura who both have interest in being famous._

"Right," Teruhashi closed her eyes, "And Kaido definitely doesn't have powers?" She almost thought she heard him snort, but it was so quiet she was more inclined to believe her mind was playing tricks on her.

 _No, Kaido does not have powers, and anything that was done by the Dark Reunion in real life was actually me._

She grinned, opening one eye to look at him, "Because you're a good friend."

Saiki's face never changed, _Because people who take advantage of people annoy me._

"Uh huh," She laughed and closed her eyes again. A delicious smell was starting to waft in through the kitchen, they had been talking for, what, 45 minutes now? Or had it been longer? A little while ago Kuniharu Saiki had arrive home, calling out loudly for his beloved wife, and Teruhashi had thought their conversation would end there. But Kurumi must have done or said something to her husband, because neither of them had made a sound since, nor had either of them come to check on her or Saiki.

But it was probably starting to get late.

"Ok," She opened her eyes and sat up straight again, "I guess I just have one more question and then I'll go home."

Saiki eyed her carefully, _Shoot._

Teruhashi felt her lips twitch in amusement, "You don't have to act like you don't already know."

 _Hm,_ Saiki scratched his cheek, _It's more polite to let you actually say it then to interrupt. Plus in my experience people don't always say exactly what they're thinking._

"That's fair," She could certainly believe that, "Ok, so how did you stop the eruption?"

 _I didn't,_ Saiki said, matter of factly.

"Yes you did, if you hadn't it would be on the news and I'm pretty sure you'd be dead," she winced at the memory of the long hours actually thinking he was dead. "Or you know... hurt."

Saiki stared at her for a long while, shifting in his seat twice before finally replying, _I had a precognitive dream about the volcano erupting four years ago. The mixture of the earth quakes, lava, and heavy smoke, would take the lives of thousands of people, and ultimately be the downfall for all of Japan. I tried to stop it from erupting, but even I am not strong enough to stop such a large force of nature by myself, so every year I train up on the volcano to get stronger. In the meantime, every year that I can't stop the volcano from erupting I reverse time on it to give me another year. But because my limiters are off when I reverse time I end up reversing time through the entire world, and not just on the volcano itself. People's memories remain, but their bodies go back a year, so I had to use mind control to make it seem normal that everyone was going through a four year pause in their growth._

"Oh..." Teruhashi nodded, slowly beginning to understand, "So that's why everyone else thinks its normal that we're in our second year again."

 _... You don't find it normal?_

"Well, I think I did, before I found out about your powers," She bit her lip in thought, "But when I got home after spending the whole day trying to find you, and make sure you weren't hurt, Makoto told me that I had missed my first day of second year. It just didn't sit right. Especially since I had been so excited to start our third year the night before."

Saiki was staring at her, hard. She couldn't read the expression on his face for the second time that day, it made her nervous.

Laughing uncomfortably, Teruhashi scratched at her neck, "I'm sorry, this whole thing has probably been really weird for you." She stood up, "I'm just gonna head home."

She made her way out of the living room, Saiki following her out to the doorway. She felt much better than she had before, knowing all of this new information about Saiki. Weirdly enough, it made her happy. There was no way she regretted finding out his secret, even if he probably did.

Teruhashi had been seen at the park, crying. A gathering of men had been seen searching through the woods and reporting to her. She had spent the whole day looking for him... she had thought he was dead. And it had made her cry.

Saiki would never have actually bet money that she would cry over him like that.

"Ok," Teruhashi slipped her shoes back on and hoisted her school bag over her shoulder before turning to grin at him, "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

 _Teruhashi,_ she tilted her head, waiting to head out the door. _You know you can't tell anyone._

Her smile was even brighter than before, "Yeah I know, Saiki. You don't want people to take advantage of you, I promise I won't tell anyone." " _Besides, I kind of like knowing something about you none of the other girls do..."_

 _Besides Aiura._

Teruhashi rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I guess besides her." She smiled at him again, "See you, Saiki. Thanks for answering my questions."

He watched her go. Two brief seconds of pale skin and blue hair, smiling and waving at the gate before heading off down the street, then muscles and bones... Saiki frowned.

 _You're welcome._


	4. Changes

Ch 4 - Changes

When Saiki first went to school knowing that someone else knew about his psychic powers, he had been on edge. Waiting for the word to spread throughout the school, ready to pounce and come through on the promise he made the night before to Toritsuka. It had been exhausting. Constantly keeping tabs on someone he might actually think is more annoying then Nendou, listening to his perverted thoughts, making sure he wasn't going to spill the beans.

The second time Saiki went to school knowing that someone else knew about his psychic flowers, he had been annoyed. Auira had been mouthy when she first transferred into his class, letting everyone who cared to listen know about her own psychic abilities. It was similar to Toritsuka's first day at PK academy, though his popularity had died down very quickly. Auira was brash and brunt, but she was a huge hit with the girls in the class. And when she announced that the whole reason she had transferred in the first place was to find her soulmate, it only heightened her popularity even more.

To make matters worse, she had blabbed to the entire student body that her soulmate had an amazing aura and the initials K.S. He had worried for days that people would start to put together the pieces, realizing that an amazing aura was a sign that there was something different about him. Of course, when she found him, she wanted to tell the whole school. No, the whole world, but he managed to convince her not to. Auira was a very online, social kind of girl, and going to school knowing that any day should be the day that she slipped and said something about him online, was exhausting.

The third time he went to school knowing that someone else knew about is psychic powers, he was calm. Nendou had caught up to him on his route to school and started going off about some new manga in Jump that had just come out in this week's issue. It was normal. Kaido and Aren were waiting at his locker, arguing about the questions they thought would be on the first Literature exam. That was normal too. When he walked into class Auira had out her glittery, gemstoned crystal ball on top of Chiyo's desk, explaining to the girl in great detail about the five greatest loves she would find in her life. Chiyo's face was only getting a brighter and brighter red as she went on. Auira laughed, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder and tapping her long, manicured nails against the crystal ball, pointing something out that made Chiyo gasp, grab the crystal ball and shake it in anger. That was normal too.

Hairo stopped him before he could get to his seat. The athletic class rep, with his rolled-up sleeves showing off his sweaty muscles (seriously how was he this sweaty so early in the day?) wanted to know, again, if Saiki would join the tennis team. Though not something that happened every day, this was pretty normal too. He ignored Hairo, sitting at his desk as if the boy had never spoken to him, to begin with. In his experience, if he let the spiky red-haired jock talk enough, he would usually just give up, and Saiki certainly had no interest in joining the tennis team or being forced to see Hairo's naked butt twice to three times a day. Sure enough, after a few moments, Hairo started trailing off, clearly sensing he was being ignored, and he moved his attention to Nendou. His only athletic rival.

Well, his only rival that actually wanted to compete.

Saiki focused his attention somewhere else. Mera, a heavy chested girl that he was associated with through Chiyo and a bit through Auira, was sleeping at her desk. Her dreams a delightful swirl of chocolates and sugar. He hoped the poor girl had eaten recently, working so many jobs besides going to school to try and support her family was admirable, but hard, and he knew that she had a tendency to miss a meal here and there. Sometimes when he was sure no one was looking he would reverse time on her body to ease her hunger pains and slip something filling into her locker. She didn't have to know it was him, and he considered it payment for letting him hang out in her sweet filled dreams, even though they made him hungry.

Saiko was at his diamond-encrusted desk. Looking unimpressed and annoyed into a mirror as he prodded at the grey strip of hair atop his head and Takashi and his cronies catering to his every need. That was normal. Using clairvoyance he could see Toritsuka harassing a poor girl in class 2 into listening to his ghost stories, though she was very clearly uninterested. Saiki couldn't blame her, who would really want to date the lilac-haired pervert from a temple family? That was normal too.

The only thing that wasn't normal that day should have been at the very back of the classroom. Though he had saved her for last, she was definitely prominent in his thoughts. After last night... knowing that she knew everything. He was curious to see how she would react to him today but trusted her to not tell his secret.

Teruhashi wasn't at her desk yet. But he could see her, through the doorway, talking to Rifuta. That was normal. The second prettiest girl in the school was on a mission to either date the older Teruhashi (Makoto) or date the ridiculously beautiful Teruhashi herself. That was normal too. Boys had gathered around the blond and bluenette, wearing fan club t-shirts and blushing at their every move. Were they talking about asparagus? Is that what pretty girls talked about to each other?

When the bell rang, Teruhashi slipped quietly into the classroom and took her seat, he thought that would be it. It was a completely normal day after all. The teacher took her place at the front of the classroom, her words spewing math but her thoughts sighing annoyance. That was normal too.

" _Good morning..."_

Saiki tilted his head slightly, was that supposed to be for him?

Teruhashi smiled down at her desk, sweeping a strand of hair back behind her ear. " _I know you can hear me, Saiki, so get used to it. I didn't get the chance to say good morning in person."_

His lips twitched upwards, _Good morning._

That was not normal. But, he didn't really mind.

Unlike Auira, who practically screamed out her I love you's to him, every second since she found out he could hear her thoughts, Teruhashi was different. Though he still caught her from time to time staring at the back of his head, now she stopped herself forcefully from saying anything too embarrassing. Not to mention she made it a regular habit to greet him in the morning and say goodbye if she missed him after school. Her voice in his head stopped being a regular annoyance, and she was starting to become the closest thing to a real friend he ever had.

" _Saiki, did Kaido really just call you his sidekick?"_

Saiki lowered his head slightly to hide his smile at her giggles filling his head, _I am his number one soldier against the fight against Dark Reunion. It's a big deal Teruhashi._

" _This coming from Dark Reunion himself."_ Teruhashi bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud in the classroom before she turned her thoughts back to the conversation she was having with Chiyo about their upcoming science project. If you had asked him before if he ever thought he could joke with someone about his abilities, he would have said you were crazy, and you probably were. But Teruhashi was so open and accepting of who he was... she made it so easy.

That was different too.

Saiki tapped his fingers on his desk, eyes on the cards in his left hand. His turn in this weird card game Kaido made up was next. He wasn't sure if Nendou actually knew what he was doing though.

"OH! Partner, look at all these black cards in my hand!" Nendou waved his hand around, "I'm gonna win this game for sure short stuff."

"You can't win the game if you don't actually play your cards you idiot," Aren looked like he was getting frustrated, his fighting veins were starting to protrude, "Just put a card down, Nendou."

"You're just jealous that my hand is better than yours," Nendou chuckled, rubbing the cards absentmindedly against his blond mohawk. Saiki rolled his eyes.

 _Just play a card Nendou._

"Oh? Nendou turned his attention to his best friend, "But I'm not sure which card is the best card to play anymore.

Kaido sighed, "Ok, let me explain this to you one more time."

Saiki focused his attention elsewhere, not interested in hearing the rules to Kaido Kard Killers for a third time. He found, as he had been finding a lot lately, that his eyes fell upon Teruhashi, leant over poster paper that she and Chiyo had spread out over several desks. Including Mera's, who was instead sitting under her desk, slurping down stew Chiyo had brought especially for her. Mera's contribution to their science project seemed to mainly be to not spill on their work, and to help them put away the fistfuls of markers they had taken from the supply closet when they finished. But she could live with that, who had time for science when there was food to eat and money to be made anyway?

They were such an odd group of friends. Vastly different in every way, but closer knit than any of the other girls in the school. He wondered what it felt like, to be that close to someone. Was it a sign that he should spend more time with his friends? He glanced back at Nendou, Aren, and Kaido (practically strangling each other over his desk as they argued over made up rules to a made-up game) and gave himself a mental shake. No that was a horrible idea.

Besides... he spent a lot of time with them already. Did he really need to open up and try and let them know everything about him, the way he knew everything about them? No... Teruhashi might have accepted him, but there was no way to know for sure how they would react. He wasn't ready for that.

So then, what did he have?

 _Teruhashi?_

" _Hmm?"_

 _Are we friends?_

Teruhashi frowned, pausing in her drawings briefly, " _Weren't we friends before?"_

 _Not really._ The truth hurts, and he could tell the words stung a little. But Teruhashi was the strongest person he knew besides himself, and she bounced back quickly.

" _Well... ok. But we were at least friendly acquaintances."_

Saiki felt a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. _Is that what you would call it._

He wondered how warm her face felt when her cheeks got that pink, " _Listen, just because I know now that you heard all of those... embarrassing, thoughts, doesn't mean you get to hold it against me. That's not what friends do."_

 _What do friends do?_

Teruhashi paused in their conversation to quickly talk with Chiyo about the workings of photosynthesis, and Saiki gave back his hand to be reshuffled by Kaido who was restarting the game. " _Friends hang out together. You know, like you and the boys do almost every day. To study, or talk, or just ..."_ She clicked her tongue, lost for thought, " _I dunno Saiki. Friends just like to be around each other I guess."_

Saiki considered his options. Who, out of all of the people in his life did he like to spend the most time with? Nendou was probably the one he spent the most time with overall, followed closely by Kaido and then Aren. Toritsuka and Aiura were fairly high up on that list as well, all though they had taken to spending a lot of time together to discuss what the PK Psychic Trio should do next. Or to argue. It really seemed like they mostly just argued.

 _Teruhashi. Should we... hang out more?_

"Kokomi!" Chiyo's voice rang through the classroom along with the plastic thuds of 15 or 20 markers hitting the floor.

"I'm sorry!" Teruhashi was bright red, ducking quickly to begin scooping up the markers with Chiyo. It wouldn't have been so bad if the falling markers hadn't startled Mera into spilling her stew, and the ravenous Amazonian beast of a woman was now licking at the floor and hissing at the class like a wild animal. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to."

 _Clutz._

" _Shut up."_

He smirked, playing an eight and a ten for his turn and then flipping a coin. "Heads!" Kaido cheered, thumping his hand on Saiki's back, "What a good turn Saiki! Ok, but it's my turn now."

Saiki wasn't sure what exactly was good about his turn, but since he had three turns to go now before he had to pay attention, he focused back on Teruhashi. _It's been a while since you all joined us for ramen after school, and I enjoy talking to you more than I enjoy listening to Nendou._

" _O-oh,"_ Teruhashi cleared her throat in real life, still on the ground trying to clean up some of the spilled stew without getting her hand bitten, and smiling when Chiyo raised a brow at her, " _That sounds wonderful."_

 _Ok,_ Saiki tapped his fingers twice again, _we go every day. Just come join us sometime. You know where we'll be._

" _Ok..."_

He could feel her eyes on him but he didn't turn around. She had known about him for what... 3 weeks now? It was odd that they had gone this long without seeing each other outside of school. He was just righting the natural balance of things. Putting his life back exactly as it was.

Still though... this was definitely different.


	5. Friends

Ch - 5 Friends

Kurumi Saiki was happier than she had ever been in her entire life, and she had led a very happy life. She had been raised by two loving, if odd, parents, and she had met the man of her dreams young. Young enough that she had still retained her striking good looks after her two sons had already grown into young men. Her husband had a good job that provided for her and allowed her to take care of the house and the kids, and both of her boys had been born extremely smart and gifted. But all of those feelings... all of the times her husband wrapped her up, or carried her around, or whispered in her ear, stared in her eyes... Ahem... All of those times, her happiness must have been mere puddles compared to this ocean she felt right now.

There was a guest in her house today. During winter break. No one had called her so she would force Kusuo out of the house. No one had bribed him with coffee jelly. She was just here. Ku-Chan had invited her here on his own.

Her youngest son had always struggled to make friends, She had worried her whole life that it might be a permanent thing, especially with his powers getting in the way of him making real connections with people. Somehow, in high school, Kusuo began to make many friends, but even then she had feared none of them truly knew and loved her son the way best friends should. Teruhashi had changed everything for him, and therefore for her.

The pretty blue haired girl had been hanging around a lot lately. Stopping by throughout the week at times to do her homework in their kitchen, sometimes joined by Nendou, other times followed in by a girl Kurumi hadn't officially met before named Chiyo. But most of the times it was just her, she had even stayed for dinner twice!

And now she was here... in jeans and a red turtleneck sweater, sitting on her couch upside down so her legs were thrown over the back and her long hair sweeper against the ground, watching a B listed movie that Saiki had pulled from his impressive, horrible movie collection and munching on popcorn they were sharing from a bowl in between them. Kusuo was sat normally at his own end of the couch, dressed in the new zebra striped t-shirt she had bought him. They were just so cute together she could die right here, peeking around the corner in the kitchen, and be happy!

Kurumi squealed in her head, hugging herself and wriggling slightly to contain the joy inside of her.

" _Why is your mom staring at us?"_

 _She's freaking out because I have a friend._

Teruhashi tossed a piece of popcorn into her mouth, " _What about Nendou, Kaido, and Aren? Aren't they your friends too?"_

 _They don't come over to my house, sit upside down on the couch, and eat all of the popcorn,_ Saiki smirked over at her, levitating several pieces of popcorn over to himself and into his awaiting mouth.

" _Using your powers is cheating."_

 _Taking advantage of gravity is cheating._

Teruhashi punched his ankle, finding it the easiest to reach, and knowing he probably didn't feel it anyway, " _I used to watch movies like this with my mom before her and dad took off to France."_

Saiki's eyes flickered over to her before landing back on the tv, _Why didn't you go with them when they went?_

She attempted to shrug, " _Didn't want to I guess. I was comfortable in Japan, learning French was not my strong suit and my big brother was staying here. He was my only friend for a long time, plus I almost feel like I have to take care of him sometimes."_

 _Because he's crazy?_

" _He's not crazy,"_ Teruhashi rolled her eyes, " _He's just... extravagant."_

 _And perverted, he told me once that he had been in love with you since you were a baby._

Teruhashi sighed, staring at her socked feet in the air in thought before letting her head fall back where she could see the movie, " _I mean I can't really blame him. I mean I was always this -"_

 _Conceited?_ Saiki flicked a popcorn kernel at her telepathically, snorting when it bounced off her forehead and she glared at him.

" _Gorgeous. Don't interrupt it's rude."_ Her thoughts sounded serious but she was smiling at him, so Saiki mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key to make her laugh. " _Anyway, boys have been telling me they were in love with me for years. I don't take it seriously. In the end, love is a lot more than just beauty, and in my brother's case... Well, I don't believe it's possible to fall in love at such a young age. He's just got a bad case of fascination that he's never really grown out of."_

Saiki glanced over at her, he wished on some level that he could understand what she must be feeling better. To be fawned over all throughout the day, whether you wanted the attention or not, and to never know if someone's affection was just because they saw a pretty face or because they stuck around for the sweet personality inside. He frowned, he couldn't even fully understand what the boys fawning over her felt like. After all, without control over his x-ray vision, he only got to see a second of pale skin and blue hair before he was staring at her muscles and organs, and it wasn't the same pulling pictures of her from other boys minds. They were usually over lewd, not accurate at all, or surrounded in cartoonish hearts. All Saiki had to go off on was her personality, so at least he knew he was sticking around for something.

He looked back at the TV. At least movies had actresses that were fully clothed and covered in flesh.

They watched the movie in silence for a while. Having seen it before, Saiki was finding it much more interesting to listen to Teruhashi's reactions in her head then watch the actors on screen. Though... her thoughts were getting a bit cloudy as she continued to let gravity pull her blood towards her brain. After about twenty minutes when the credits finally rolled and Teruhashi had picked her jaw off the floor (the ceiling?) she finally heaved herself upwards so she could swivel back into a regular seating position.

"That was surprisingly good for such a low budget film," She spoke aloud for the benefit of his mother, who would probably start getting disappointed if they continued to talk only through their minds. "I would have never expected the killer to be the pregnant woman from the train station."

 _Mystery writers often choose innocent-seeming killers to throw their readers off the scent,_ Saiki nodded his agreement and stood to remove the DVD from the player. _Do you want to watch another one?_

"Hmm..." Teruhashi was stretching her arms over her head, "How long is it? I'm supposed to be home by 9 or my brother will throw a fit, plus if I want to have dinner at a decent time -"

 _Have dinner here._

"But your mom didn't know I was staying so she's probably only made dinner for the three of you-"

"Oh no, I'm making plenty Teruhashi, please feel welcome to stay!" Kurumi called from her hiding spot cheerfully, before realizing that she had just given herself away. "Oh um... Back to the kitchen!" She scurried from the room and Saiki rolled his eyes.

 _You see now you have to stay. I'll let you pick the next movie,_ He held up three different mystery DVDs so she could see the title and the art. _These are all only an hour and a half long so they'll be done before 9._

Teruhashi bit her lip. She did really want to watch another movie, but the clock on the wall was ticking 6:30, if dinner wasn't done until 7 and they all ate together... It was a 30 minute walk home, though she supposed she could take a taxi. "Um..."

Wanting her to stay Saiki interrupted her, offering something he had never voluntarily offered to anyone before, _I'll teleport you home. You won't have to walk or cab, it'll take a second. You can stay right until the clock strikes 9 if you want._

Blinking in surprise, Teruhashi felt her mouth curve into a small smile. "Ok."

Saiki smiled as well, holding up the DVDs a little higher, _Which one?_

"The one in the middle, with the hot blond guy," She pointed and Saiki set the other two aside before slipping the new movie into the DVD player.

 _Personally, don't see the appeal, but it's a good movie,_ he joked, grabbing the remote and sitting back in his seat on the couch.

Teruhashi watched him. She had been spending quite a bit of time with him lately, both alone like they were now (if you didn't count his mother in the kitchen and his father up in his study) and with their other friends from school. It was nice to see Saiki so open to spending time with people, though she was the only one that knew how much he actually cared for them. Sure he had told her multiple times that he found them all annoying now that he felt like he could tell her things like that, but that didn't change the fact that he put up with them and in her opinion that was the greatest form of flattery of all time.

And now he had offered to use his powers for her. She knew how little he cared for them, knew how much he hated when his father asked to be teleported to work or let back into the house he locked himself out of. That's why she had tried so hard to not be selfish, not to study for a test and think 'why bother I have a psychic friend now I can just cheat'. She wasn't that kind of person, and if she had been then she wouldn't have really deserved Saiki in her life. So him offering to use his powers for her... it was giving her this warm fuzzy feeling inside. Like he, cared or something.

She smiled softly to herself, carefully moving the bowl of popcorn that was separating them out of the way and scooching closer so she could rest her head on his shoulder. " _You're my best friend."_

 _Oh?_ Purple eyes flickered over to her then back to the title screen of the movie, _I thought Chiyo was your best friend._

" _Yeah,"_ She whispered in her mind as the open credits started to move across the screen, " _So did I."_

Saiki had tensed when her cheek hit his shoulder. Even though he had known it was coming, his body just hadn't been prepared for the contact. But she wasn't blushing, or freaking out, or gushing about him in her mind like she used to do if he even looked at her the wrong way, she was just smiling and watching the movie. Her thoughts weren't even on him at all, but on the opening scene where the detectives find out there had been a gruesome murder at a beach in Okinawa. He watched her curiously from the corner of his eye, but nothing changed. She was just comfortable, and to be honest he didn't really mind. So he relaxed.

Besides, it was normal for good friends to do this during movies. He had heard that before. And Teruhashi was his best friend so that made it even more normal.

A half hour later his mother called them in for dinner. It was disappointing because the movie had just gotten into its darker, more interesting scenes, but Saiki paused it anyway and the two of them sat down to a meal with his parents. He wasn't sure why Teruhashi put up with all of his father's questioning. Especially when he was drooling over her almost as much as he had been drooling over his wife, but this was the third time she had eaten dinner with them. Once before with Nendou and another time with both Nendou and Kaido around christmas. She confided in him after the second one that she actually thoroughly enjoyed the Saiki family dinner experience. Most of her meals at home were eaten alone as her parents were in France and her brother traveled often for work. So there was something that just touched her soul about the three of them eating a meal every night together.

When they had all cleared their plates and his mother had refused to let Teruhashi help her do the dishes no less than three times, they headed back into the living room to finish the movie. This time he lifted his arm up and let her snuggle right into his side, knowing it would be more comfortable for both of them, and again it was perfectly normal. Despite whatever warmth he felt in his face, or the slight pink to her cheeks, he knew it was normal for best friends to be close like this.

Besides, he had been the one that wanted her to stay. She had provided something into his life that he hadn't known he was missing. Comradery, familiarity, comfort, she had brought it all into his life wrapped in this perfect bow of friendship he hadn't known existed. Just being friends with her had made him a better friend to Nendou, Kaido and Aren. He still valued his alone time greatly, especially when he couldn't take the insistent battering of crowds of thoughts pounding into his skull, but now he understood what his being their meant to them. A lesson his father had started over a year ago and Teruhashi completed, somehow.

Nevermind, of course, she completed it. She was a perfect pretty girl.

He smirked to himself, glancing down at her. Her blue eyes were focused on the movie, her cheek pressed against his chest and her fist bundled in his t-shirt. The suspense was just starting to get good and Saiki could feel her mind racing, trying to figure out before the detective who had killed the young surfer.

She felt soft... But heavy against him. Like an anxiety blanket, comforting. It gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling inside he just couldn't quite place. Kokomi Teruhashi was a wonderful person, he decided. She was a little spoiled, and a little conceited, and she was downright awful at predicting his thoughts (though she was starting to get better now that she stopped using the love fantasy's). But she was also intelligent, quick witted, kinda clumsy, and very funny. He liked listening to her stories, and watching her grow as a person everyday.

She was his best friend.

Surprisingly, Saiki found himself wishing as he turned his eyes back to the movie, that she had known about his powers sooner.

Teruhashi was humming as she pulled her fur lined boots over her feet. She had already buttoned up her heavy winter coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck, so once her boots were securely on her feet and she had her purse in her hands she grinned up at Saiki, who was still sock feet in the hallway. "Ok, so what do I do about this whole teleport thing then?" The clock read 8:58, so she really didn't have a lot of time to get back home.

Saiki smirked at her, _You hold on._

"What does that even-" But she didn't have time to finish her sentence because suddenly Saiki grabbed her arm. There was a flash of bright blue light, and then they were standing in the middle of her bedroom. Her messy bedroom... The one she had thrown all her clothes from her closet onto the floor this morning so she could find her favorite red sweater she was currently wearing. Her face paled.

Was it the sudden warmth of her winter clothes or her embarrassment that was making her head spin?

"Saiki!" She hissed at him, punching his shoulder, "You could have told me I didn't need to wear all my winter gear! Now I'm gonna have to take it all downstairs," She pouted, unbuttoning her coat as fast as she could to cool down.

 _Sorry,_ Saiki shrugged, eyeing up her room, _I figured it would be easier than teleporting you and all of your belongings._

Teruhashi sighed once her coat was over her head and tossed onto her bed, "No I'm sorry," She started kicking off her boots, "It was nice of you to teleport me home so I didn't have to walk. But you're still mean."

Saiki grinned and pointed around her room, _I think you're just being cranky because now I know you're actually a slob._ She tossed a wrinkled t-shirt at his head, though of course it just stopped in mid air before hitting him, _And you call me mean?_

She stuck her tongue out at him, but then laughed, not able to stay angry, "Thank you for taking me home Saiki." She stepped closer to him, "Despite the state of my room, and all your teasing, I do actually really appreciate it."

Saiki's heart thumped painfully in his chest. Was this some kind of aftershock for teleporting two people? That didn't make sense... Afterall he had teleported eight of them the time they had been stuck on that deserted island. So then why...

Teruhashi slowly started to pick up stuff from the floor of her room and tossing it onto her bed, so she would be forced to put them away before going to sleep. "You don't have to stick around," She glanced back at Saiki who was just watching her casually, "Not that I'm trying to kick you out but if my brother comes to check that I'm home and sees you in my room-"

 _I can't yet. Once I teleport it takes a full three minutes to charge that power before I can do it again._

"Oh," Teruhashi paused in her cleaning, "Do you want something to drink then before you go?"

Saiki shook his head, _I'm fine. Three minutes is almost up._

Was she disappointed? Teruhashi smiled warmly at him, "Ok well the next time you're in my room I promise it won't be this messy."

...

...

" _OH MY GOD DID I JUST SAY THAT?!"_

Saiki's lips twitched upwards and he shook his head in amusement. _I'll remember that,_ he teased her, because of course, he couldn't help it, _But until then..._ He lifted his hand, pointing at the pile of clothes on her bed and lifting them up, one by one into the air. In a matter of seconds, he had her clothes flying through the air, a sea of colors and fabrics over their heads, and hanging themselves on hangers in her closet. Teruhashi stood in her now spotless room, slightly dazed and Saiki bowed to her with a little smile, _Goodnight Teruhashi._ Then he was gone, in another flash of blue light.

"... Goodnight Saiki." Teruhashi smiled to herself before grabbing her winter coat and boots and heading downstairs to put them in their proper place.

"Kokomi!" Her brother's voice greeted her almost immediately. "How long have you been up in your room? I didn't even know you had come home, I was about to call you because you weren't answering any of my texts!" Makoto's ramblings usually annoyed her, but tonight it was ok. Afterall, he was her brother, he was allowed to worry about her. She hummed to herself as she hung up her coat, listening to her brother continue, "I was thinking after work tomorrow I could take you out for dinner, and maybe we'll go shopping to! Whatever you want, your big brother will buy it for you to make you happy Kokomi!"

Her phone buzzed in her pocket so she tugged it out on her way back towards her room, Makoto still close on her heels. She had missed several calls, all from Makoto, and had countless notifications for texts from him as well that she had ignored in favor of watching movies with Saiki. However, right at the very top of her notifications was a new text that made her ears feel warm and her stomach flip and flop.

 _Same day, same time next week. I have a closet full of B list movies with your name on it._

Smiling to herself she jotted out a reply and then put her phone back in her pocket. This was the greatest winter break ever.

Saiki stared at the screen of his phone. He had, had one for ages, ("For Emergencies Ku-chan, what if you get hit by a bus?") because he was forced to carry one around by his mother. But he had never actually sent a text message to anyone before becoming friends with Teruhashi. No, sending Nendou and Kaido sad face emoji's to say he wasn't interested in hanging out with them for the day didn't count. This was different.

" _I wouldn't miss it for the world! You pop the corn and I'll bring coffee jelly, my treat! :)"_

He was still feeling the aftershocks of teleportation in his chest like he had earlier. But even the painful thump, thump in his chest, and the feverish heat in his face couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face.

Having a best friend was the best.


	6. Saiki Family Reunion

Ch. 6 Saiki Family Reunion

Today was going to be the best day ever. Kumagoro Saiki was a simple man. He liked his tiny elderly community, far out in the country, with its fresh air and calm wildlife. He loved his wife, Kumi Saiki, even though she dressed and acted way too young for her age a majority of the time. He also loved the rest of his family. His loving daughter Kurumi and her beautiful sons, Kusuke and Kusuo. They were his whole world... Not that bastard of a husband of hers though. As far as Kumagoro was concerned, Kuniharu Saiki had done nothing more than steal away the attention of his daughter and grandsons, and he could rot in hell for it.

But today was going to be a good day. Kurumi and Kusuo were coming to visit for the last day of Kusuo's winter break. They were scheduled to arrive any minute, then they would spend the whole afternoon with he and Kumi before departing back home with just enough time for Kusuo to relax a little before school started the next day. Kumagoro had to admit, now that he and his wife were in the know on Kusuo's powers, it was so useful for the family to take advantage of that teleport ability of his. Not to mention he felt closer to them as a family member than he ever had before. To think they would trust him with such a valued secret, but of course they would, they knew that he would rather sacrifice himself to a pack of ravenous wolves than let a strand of pink hair be harmed on Kusuo's head. God, he just lived for the smile on that boys face...

Speaking of teleportation abilities though, Kumagoro wasn't sure why Kusuo didn't come to visit him more often. Anytime he wanted to see his wonderful grandpa, which must be all of the time, he just had to concentrate and there he would be! Ready for tea and board games. Maybe they could even share secrets. In fact, why wasn't Kusuo living out in the country with them by now? It's not like he couldn't just teleport to school every morning and back in the afternoon. Oh they could have so much fun together. He could take him fishing! And it would be much quieter out in the country than in the city, especially with his grandpa catering to his every need. He could even help him with his homework.

" _Ugh, I want to live with my grandson!"_ Kumagoro wriggled slightly in his seat, though he tried to remain stoic and cold as he read the newspaper in the sitting room, across from his wife. " _Where are they anyway? I just don't think I can take another second!"_ Several sharp knocks sounded against their front door, sending the poor old man's heart into overdrive. " _They're here! My grandson is here! My grandson is here! My grandson, my grandson, my grandson!"_

Kumi had already gotten up to go and answer the door, but he was faster. Practically pushing her out of the way so he could swing the door open, "Well, it took you long eno-"

"Hi dad!" The stupid, be-speckled face of Kuniharu Saiki stared back at him, holding a hand up in greeting, "Kurumi forgot some of the sweets she baked for you at home so Kusuo teleported her back into the city. They should be back in about five minutes-"

Kumagoro slammed the door in his face. There was no sight he hated more in this world than the short brown hair, and muddy brown eyes of the scrawny bastard who took his daughter away from him. His good mood suddenly gone, Kumagoro stepped past his wife, who did not look overly pleased at being pushed out of the way, and sulked away into his study to hide. Once he was alone he sank to the floor, curling up into a little ball as he cried fat wet streams of tears down his cheeks. " _I'll never make it five whole minutes without my darling Kurumi and her beautiful Kusuo. I can already feel myself dying without them... Leave the sweets at home, I don't need them! I just need you!"_

A minute passed, though it felt like a year, and Kumagoro was sure that he had already gained five new wrinkles as he withered and died... He could hear Kumi and Kuniharu through the door, because of course she would have let him inside, setting the table for tea. They were talking happily about how Kusuo was doing in school, passing all of his classes, average on all the tests, but that was better than worst obviously! Kumagoro was furious, how dare he even think about talking about his grandson while he wasn't in the room! Surely there was no one else in the family as invested in Kusuo's future as he was! He crawled towards the door, still crying quietly, and pressed his forehead against the paneling. " _Oh Kusuo..."_

He imagined a slightly younger Kusuo and himself out fishing together on a perfect day. He was sure Kusuo would need his help to learn how to properly hold a fishing pole, and once he had gained his grandson's respect as an older and wiser man that would be it! Kusuo would get all nervous and blush, saying something like "grandpa... can I tell you something I haven't really had the guts to tell mom or dad yet?" and he would say "of course Kusuo, you know you can tell grandpa anything. Is this about a girl?" Oh, how he wanted to see those red cheeks get even redder as he stuttered out his excuses. What a cute and innocent little grandson he had, so perfect...

"Oh, you'll never believe this mom, Kusuo made a friend," That bastard's voice cut through Kumagoro's daydreaming, gaining his attention.

"A friend?" Kumi questioned, "I thought you told us last time you visited that Kusuo had lots of friends? I thought he was quite popular."

"Oh he is, just like his old man back in the glory days," Kuniharu laughed, "But this is different. This is a friend that Kusuo actually seems to want to spend time with. And get this, this is the best part." There was a pause, and Kumagoro pressed his ear against the door to try and hear better, "This friend is a girl! Our boy has a little girlfriend, isn't that adorable?"

"What a girl!?" " _A GIRL!?"_ Both Kumi and Kumagoro were equally shocked by this news. "Are you sure you're not just exaggerating this to me Kuniharu?"

"I'm not I swear! She's stayed over for dinner a handful of times, this marks the third year that she's been at my house for Christmas, and she visited Kusuo to watch movies with him in our living room twice over the break!" Kuniharu sounded a little too excited for his own good.

"Oh is it that sweet blond girl I met last year? Auira?" Kumi clapped her hands in delight, "She took me shopping at all the coolest malls and then we went clubbing together! I knew right then and there that she would make the perfect bride for Kusuo~"

Kuniharu coughed, "Uh... no, it's not that girl. I've actually never met that girl. No this girl is different, she is absolutely gorgeous, with the softest looking blue hair, and eyes to match -"

"That better be my daughter you're talking about you rat bastard!" Kumagoro yelled through the doorway, slamming his fist against the ground for added effect, and smiling wickedly when he heard the scrawny bastard start stammering his apologies. Blue hair huh? That sounded a lot like the girl that he had run into last year, the one that helped him find his way back to the Saiki household after he had gotten lost in the city. What was her name again?

"Anyway," Finished with his stammering and apologies, Kuniharu cleared his throat, "What I meant to say that this girl is named Kokomi Teruhashi."

" _It is her!"_ Kumagoro flopped back down onto the floor, hugging his arms around his chest and squirming around in a warm delight at this joyous news. " _I just knew it! I knew it as soon as I saw her that she was the perfect girl. She'll make such a wonderful wife to my grandson, and then he will be happy forever and visit me all of the time with his new bride!"_ His face was starting to get red, he could barely contain his joy, " _Maybe Kusuo will make me his best man! Oh wait, maybe that's why they're visiting today, they need money to help fund the wedding and Kusuo was just far too embarrassed to ask his lousy father for the money."_ He sat up, nodding to himself in determination, " _Well of course I will help them, I'll fund the whole wedding if I have to. I'll make him work for it a bit to build character, but not for long. I can't keep his beautiful bride to be waiting after all."_

 _Good grief, I'm not even out of high school yet._

Kumagoro froze, oh no his grandson had arrived... " _Kusuo, did you hear all of that?"_

 _Grandma says to come out of your study and have some tea before it goes cold._

Maybe knowing about all of these powers his grandson had wasn't the best thing in the world after all...

His family would not shut up, it was getting very frustrating. Saiki's eyebrow was twitching, aching to furrow down into an annoyed grimace, but he was trying, he really was. It was the last day of break, school started tomorrow, and if he was being honest with himself, this was probably the last place he wanted to be. He had known this visit was coming, of course he did. His mother had informed him before break had even started that they would be visiting her parents at least once while he was out of school, but the very last day? Not only that, but all four of the elder Saiki family members were far, far too interested in Teruhashi. Sure, the spoken conversation about her had died once he and his mother had entered the house with an assortment of baked sweets and jellies, but they always seemed to forget that he had the power to read their thoughts. Or maybe they were just too stupid? Either way, Saiki found himself berated on every side with silly thoughts like-

" _One million yen would probably be enough to fund a wedding. I wonder what color of tie Saiki would want me to wear as his best man..."_

 _We're just friends._

" _Over three times for dinner, twice over break and who knows how many times they've hung out without my knowledge. Maybe it's time Ku's mother and I spoke to him about safe sex."_

 _Oh god, please no. We're just friends._

" _Little psychic grandbabies! Oh they'd be just as cute as when my little Ku-Chan was a baby~"_

 _You really shouldn't be condoning teenage pregnancy... Also we're just friends._

" _Hmph, Auira was ten times the woman whoever this Teruhashi was. Kusuo would be smarter if he just let this blue haired girl go and got together with Auira."_

 _I'm barely even friends with her, let alone romantic with her. Please stop._

Saiki sighed internally, spooning a large lump of coffee jelly into his awaiting mouth. Seriously, his family had to be the most annoying family in the world. Did god hate him or something? Putting a psychic child with a family as stupid and crazy as this one had to be some kind of torture... And all they could think about was Teruhashi! Didn't he get enough of that when he was in school?

Plus it was the last day of break. He knew exactly where he wanted to be. Literally anywhere deserted. Anywhere he could lay down and not have to hear a single person's thoughts for the rest of the day as he mentally prepared himself for the crowds of students he would have to start dealing with tomorrow. He sipped his tea, a perfect follow up to the refreshing taste of his coffee jelly and smiled to himself slightly. He bet Teruhashi was in a similar boat to him. After all she had promised to spend the day with her brother, the third full day of Makoto Teruhashi she had had to endure over this break. She was probably miserable.

If he could he would take her to his favorite deserted island. Oh, wait... she had actually been there before hadn't she? After all he had only discovered it because they had all gotten stranded there a year ago. But he had spent an entire summer there since then, and he had to say, the place was like his own private resort now. He could already imagine how excited Teruhashi would be at his five star hut and swinging leaf hammocks. She would probably be overjoyed at the thought of warm summer like water as well, since she couldn't control the temperature of her body the way he could, he knew she was getting sick of the cold air they were experiencing.

Yeah... that would have been perfect. But instead he was stuck here.

" _I wonder if Teruhashi's parents ever gave her a proper sexual education talk. Maybe after Kurumi and I talk to Kusuo we should enquire..."_

Saiki choked on his tea. _WE'RE JUST FRIENDS._

Suddenly all four pairs of eyes were on him, looking startled and concerned. Whoops, he hadn't meant to shout that to all of them so loudly, oh well it appeared to be effective.

Setting down his tea cup carefully, Saiki glared at them all one after another, _Everyone_ _stop_ _thinking about Teruhashi ok? We are just friends, there is nothing else going on. Can we please just have a normal tea visit in peace?_

The others spluttered in embarrassment, cheeks red and caught red handed they each grabbed their tea and stared down at their lap in shame. Saiki sighed in relief. It served them right after all. His grandparents could get away with saying they had only known about his telepathy for a few years, but his parents! Especially his father... What they were thinking so close to him was inexcusable. Was Teruhashi that hard to just not think about for a little while? Couldn't they just take him for an example and shut up for once?

Anyway, now that they were finally being quiet, this visit might not be so bad after all.

Of course... that only lasted so long before the front door slammed open and a voice Saiki wished desperately to never have to hear again called loudly from the doorway, "Hey guys! I'm here, is there any tea left for your favorite grandson?"

"Kusuke!" "Kusuke!" "Big Ku!" "Kusuke!"

 _Kusuke..._ Saiki watched as his father, mother and grandmother all leaped to their feet and ran to greet the final Saiki family member. _What the hell is he doing here?_

He glanced over at his grandfather, he looked angry and gruff on the outside as always but on the inside, " _Both of my grandsons are here at once! Oh lord, you are too kind to me. This really is the best day ever, I could die happy right now with no regrets..."_ Saiki was a little worried the poor man might actually have a heart attack with how fast his heart was racing.

This wasn't good. Every time the taller, blonder, genius level Saiki brother returned to Japan from his fancy London University, it usually meant life or death for the youngest Saiki. The danger levels had been upped significantly when Kusuke had invented a device that he wore atop his head to prevent Saiki from ever reading his thoughts. So really, no matter what the intention he was sure that his brother's visit meant bad news on his behalf. But he could get through this, all he had to do was make sure to give his brother as little information as possible-

"Oh hey Kusuke, did you hear that your adorable little brother has gotten himself a girlfriend?"

Kusuke's eyes snapped over to land on Kusuo. "Oh really, a girlfriend eh?"

Saiki was never going to forgive his father for as long as he lived.


	7. Kusuke Gets Involved

Ch. 7 Kusuke Gets Involved

So... little baby Kusuo had gotten himself a girlfriend. That had to be the most interesting thing that Kusuke Saiki had heard in a very long time.

Having lost to his brother in many different ways thousands upon thousands of times, you would think that Kusuke Saiki, the brilliant, genius level, handsome, inventor and top of his class in London, would learn to just let things go. That maybe the 4,000th ass kicking would have taught him a lesson or two in humility. Other humans would probably lose once to the psychic super power and never try again for the rest of their lives. "What was I supposed to do?" They would tell their loved ones, eighty years later in a rocking chair next to the fire, "He was an all-powerful psychic, there was no way I could win. It doesn't make me any less of a person."

Those people would be right. Kusuo was an all-powerful psychic, but that was the beauty of it. His little brother was the only one that could actually beat him at something. Whether it be as intelligent as chess, reflective as video games or simple as rock, paper, scissors. Kusuo could beat the man with the IQ of 218, and that was what Kusuke really craved. He wanted to be beaten, beaten by his little brother and challenged to use all of his potential and actually live _._ Someday, he would defeat him... He would invent something that would give him the upper hand and he would crush his little brother into dust. It was his life's purpose.

What would one win feel like compared to the thousands of losses against the most powerful man alive?

Kusuke's heart was beating erratically, but he didn't show an ounce of his excitement as he sat down between his grandfather and his mother, thanking his grandmother as sweetly as he could when she poured him a cup of tea and offered him some cake. He looked the absolute picture of calm for sure, but inside he was whirling. How could he use this new information about Kusuo to give him the upper hand in their war?

"Hey Kusuo," He grinned over at the pink haired Saiki brother, "Do you need any repairs or updates on your limiters while I'm here?" " _Of course I will add the tiniest listening device known to man so the next time you see this girlfriend of yours-"_

Kusuo shook his head. Of course that was a stupid tactic, he had made those limiters he knew they should be in tip top condition unless something devastatingly bad happened to them, and then it was probably too late for everyone. Plus, how could he forget that Kusuo never actually talks? He wouldn't exactly be getting anything good through his listening device if he was only recording one party.

"Alright then, it's good to hear they're treating you well," He brought his tea cup to his lips, thinking fast, "Maybe we could go for a walk through the fields together when we're done for some brotherly bonding? I'd love to hear about this girlfriend of yours..." " _And of course by brotherly bonding I mean I will pry your secrets from you one by one until I know everything I need to know to defeat you."_

Kurumi, his mother, squealed in delight at the thought of her two boys getting along. "That's such a wonderful idea Ku-Chan, you should definitely-" She turned to look at her youngest son, only to go quiet at the intensity of the glare he was sending at her. "Oh..." She frowned and then turned back to Kusuke. "He says no thank you, Big Ku..."

Kusuke could feel his eyebrow twitch in annoyance but he forced the tick away. It definitely wouldn't be good to not appear sweet and innocent in front of his family, and besides that was another stupid idea. To actually pry secrets from his brother he would need to be able to actually talk to the guy, and since Kusuo refused to talk that meant taking off his telepathy blocker. That wasn't going to do him any favours.

"Well that's too bad," He replied after a pause, "I wanted to hear about your girlfriend. At least tell me if she's pretty."

"Oh she's absolutely stunning, you have no idea Kusuke," Kuniharu rubbed at his chin with a pervy grin, "She really is one hell of a - AH!" Suddenly the tea cup on the table in front of Kuniharu tipped over, violently splashing the man's chest and lap with the hot liquid. Kusuke's lips twitched in amusement. "Kusuo how could you do that to your daddy!"

"It looked like you just knocked it over yourself you clumsy idiot," Kumagoro rolled his eyes, but Kusuke was sure he was delighted by these turn of events. After all his grandfather had never particularly liked his father.

"Of course it wasn't me!" Kuniharu was making quite a fool of himself, flailing about and gesturing at Kusuo who looked perfectly calm, "My hand was nowhere near the tea cup. He just wanted to hurt me because I was talking about how good looking his girlfriend is!" The cake Kuniharu had been nibbling on through the afternoon suddenly leaped into the air and smushed into his face. "KUSUO."

Kurumi tugged gently on Kusuke's sleeve, pulling his attention away from his father. "Big Ku?"

"What's up mama?" He grinned at her and petted the hand on his sleeve reassuringly.

"Well um," Kurumi glanced quickly over at Kusuo and then back to him, smiling sheepishly, "Kusuo wants me to inform you that he and Teruhashi are just friends. He also says to, uh, not listen to a word your father says because he doesn't know what he's talking about."

" _Well at least we agree on one thing little brother."_ Kusuke looked over at the younger boy, surprised to see a light dusting of pink over his cheek bones. Was it anger or embarrassment? Perhaps both? Fascinating.

Smiling brightly, Kusuke raised his tea cup towards his brother in a sort of toast before bringing it back to his lips, "So Kusuo doesn't have a girlfriend? I must admit that's sort of a relief. Afterall, what kind of older brother stays single while his brother plays the town?" Everyone but Kusuo laughed, though his father's laughter did seem kind of forced as he retook his seat with a scowl.

"So anyway, Kusuke," Kumi, his grandmother began as she poured a new cup of tea for her son-in-law, "You haven't told us what brings you back to Japan this time."

"Oh you know grandma," He sipped at his tea slowly, holding his big smile in place, "England gets a little boring after awhile, so I figured since I had some time between my billion dollar invention grants I would come out and visit my favorite grandparents!" He winked at his grandfather, sure that the old man was probably about ready to have a heart attack, despite what he looked like on the outside. "I really lucked out though because the whole family was here! Really makes it easy on me."

Kusuo shot him a look that Kusuke was sure meant he knew that his big brother was spouting some bullshit, but it wasn't like any of the elder Saiki family members would ever believe him. So Kusuke just grinned at him, and their tea continued. Kusuke answered questions about his new grants, leaving out confidential details about his inventions to the annoyance of his father who could smell the money even from this far across the world. He told his mother that he had lots of friends in England (a lie), and that he was always looking forward to meeting new students attending the university to see if any of them had similar intellects and interests to him (also a lie), and he showed his grandmother all of the latest fashion trends in London on his phone. But none of it mattered. All of this silly family stuff, he only held real affection for his mother, and he wasn't sure if it was truly the textbook emotions a son felt for his mom. Afterall, he wouldn't let anyone get in the way of him defeating Kusuo.

Kokomi Teruhashi, huh? Hadn't he met her before? Yeah... he had met her on New Year's either last year or the year before, he couldn't really remember. She was an exceedingly beautiful girl, he assumed, honestly he didn't really care enough about human beings in general to notice. He was also pretty sure that she was in Kusuo's class, and had a huge crush on him to boot. He remembered telling her that day that she wasn't good enough to be with Kusuo and he had meant it. Afterall what normal girl was good enough for the strongest being on the planet?

He stared at his little brother in curiosity. What then did it mean that the strongest man on the planet had actually become friends with a girl like that? This definitely required further examination.

Teruhashi was feeling extremely uncomfortable. There she was, sat at the little island in her kitchen, trying to mind her own business and do her math homework after her first day back in school after break. Her parents weren't due for a visit for a least another month and her brother was out of town for a film shoot, so she was home alone. Or she should have been home alone...

Roughly twenty minutes ago as she had sat doing her homework, she had heard a knock on her door, and when she had gone and opened it Kusuke Saiki was suddenly there. Smiling at her. She blinked at him in surprise.

"Hello Kokomi," Teruhashi balked at the casual use of her first name, "Is your brother home yet? He told me he would meet me here for an interview, but I might have arrived early..."

"Oh," Teruhashi didn't remember getting a text from her brother letting her know he was on his way home. But it was feasible that he got busy at work and forgot, "No, he's not home yet. I'm not actually sure when he's going to be home-"

"Well, I guess I will just wait inside for him then," Kusuke interrupted her before she could finish, gracefully stepping around her and entering her house, "Thank you so much." He kicked his shoes off and darted into the kitchen before she could blink. Not really knowing what to do, and wrongly assuming that Kusuke wasn't really much of a threat, she closed the door and headed back to her homework.

"I'm just working on my homework right now," She forced herself to smile at him like a good host, "But you can feel free to hang out in the living room while you wait if you want." She hopped back up onto her stool, feeling a little uneasy when Kusuke just smiled and hopped up on the stool across from her.

"No thanks, I'm good here," He replied, placing his elbows on the counter and then resting his chin in his hands. Then he just stared. He stared at her like she was the most interesting thing he had ever seen, still smiling that overly sweet smile that she was really starting not to like.

That was around when the uncomfortable feeling began. It didn't rise to what she was feeling right now, however, until twenty minutes passed in silence, and Kusuke continued to just stare and smile at her as she did her math. It was unnerving.

Teruhashi checked her phone for what felt like the tenth time since Kusuke had shown up, but she still hadn't received a text from her brother explaining his arrival. Sighing internally she set the phone back on the counter. She was beginning to get a little suspicious, afterall Saiki had told her a lot about his older brother, including the fact that the weird horn shaped thing on top of his head was a machine he had invented so that Saiki wouldn't be able to read his mind. Which... probably meant that Saiki didn't realize that he was here...

Frowning to herself she tried to remember which ramen restaurant Saiki had told her he and Nendou, Kaido and Aren were going to after school. Was it within 200 metres of where she was? She really didn't think so... " _Saiki? Can you hear me?"_ No response, well it had been a long shot anyway. Glancing at Kusuke quickly she grabbed her phone again, needing some answers as fast as possible.

"Why aren't you doing your homework at my parent's house?" Kusuke spoke up for the first time since they had sat down, distracting her enough to lower her phone. He grinned at her, "I mean, I know it's only the first day back to school, but I thought you and my brother were supposed to be best friends or something."

Teruhashi shrugged, "He's spending time with his other friends today. They were really excited to go eat ramen together since they hadn't really seen much of him over break."

"But you did."

Was this an interrogation? "I did."

"Hmm," Kusuke went silent again, still grinning that odd smile.

Teruhashi stared at him for a moment and then slowly looked back down at her phone, still open on her contacts screen. She quickly jotted out two text messages, one to her brother asking when he thought he would be home and another to Saiki, inquiring about whether or not he knew that his brother was in her kitchen. Once she was satisfied that her questions would be answered soon she set her phone back down and turned back to her homework, trying to ignore the older Saiki brother across from her.

"You know," Kusuke spoke up again, watching her intently as she finished off another math problem, "I could make you some telepathy blockers of your own. Maybe a necklace or some earrings so you could keep up appearances, since I know that's important to you."

She refused to take the bait of his not very well hidden insult, "No thank you," She replied coolly, not even giving him the satisfaction of looking at him as she continued with her last few problems.

Kusuke tilted his head slightly, "Why not? Don't you want to keep your thoughts private?"

"It doesn't bother me that much," She sighed, feeling annoyed, "Besides, if I was wearing a blocker it would be impossible for Saiki to talk to me telepathically so why would I want that?"

He didn't respond, but his smile got wider. Thank god her phone vibrated against the counter, distracting her from her best friend's creepy brother. She had two texts. One from her brother saying he probably wouldn't make it back until dinner the following night, and that he was sorry. Not that that really mattered, she was used to being in this big house all on her own. The second was from Saiki, and it was just a single word.

 _No._

Even through her phone screen she could tell Saiki was furious, so it wasn't much of a surprise when a minute or so later the now familiar blue light lit up her kitchen, and Saiki's hand clasped down onto her shoulder. She glanced up at him with a smile, but his attention was fully focused on his brother, scowling and angry. She got the feeling like he was trying to protect her, though she wasn't really sure from what.

 _Is he bothering you?_

"Not really, he's just been here for thirty minutes staring at me while I try and do math," She replied aloud, relishing in the fact that she could hear Saiki and his creepy older brother couldn't.

"I wasn't sure you were actually going to ditch out on your other friends just to come and make sure your girlfriend was safe from me," Kusuke's sweet smile looked a lot more villainous now that his brother had finally arrived, but Teruhashi wasn't blushing like crazy because of that.

"G-girlfriend? We're just friends..." She mumbled, wishing vehemently that the floor would just swallow her whole and get her out of this awful situation.

Saiki's fingers tightened on her shoulder slightly, but he finally looked down at her, meeting her eyes with a tight smile, _Is your brother going to be home soon?_

She shook her head, "No he said he won't be home until tomorrow night."

Saiki nodded, _Come on,_ He motioned for her to get up and come with him, _Let's go get some sweets at the cafe._

Relieved to be anywhere but here, Teruhashi nodded, hopping down from her stool and turning to the older Saiki, "You're going to have to get out of my house I'm afraid."

To her surprise Kusuke didn't look offended, instead he looked happier than ever as he jumped from his stool and waved merrily, "You don't need to tell me twice. I'm just so glad that I got to get to know the girl that was good enough to learn about my brother's powers," He bowed her to respectfully, "And with that, I shall take my leave." Then once again, he was darting through her house, donning his shoes and rushing out the door before she even realized he was gone.

She looked over at Saiki with a raised brow, "What was that about?"

Saiki shrugged, _I have no idea. Nothing good, though._

Kusuke had a brilliant plan.

After leaving the Teruhashi household he already felt like he had a much better grasp on their relationship. In fact he was so certain that he knew exactly what was going on, and what the problem was, that he was already 96.7% sure that he knew exactly how to exploit it.

A week went by. As far as Saiki knew his older brother had returned to England without so much as a goodbye to the family. Not that he really minded. He was honestly just happy that Kusuke hadn't bothered Teruhashi more than he already had during his brief visit, but luckily he seemed to dodge a bullet on that one. Of course, Kusuke always had a way of surprising Saiki in annoying ways, and when he arrived home after school at the end of the week, he discovered one of those little surprises.

There was a package addressed to him sitting on the kitchen counter. The return address said London, England, so there was only one person it could be from, but that didn't exactly make Saiki feel any better about it. The last time Kusuke had sent him a package it had been a bomb... though... Saiki was looking this package up and down, and from every angle with his x-ray vision and he didn't see any explosives. Just a pair of glasses eerily similar to the ones he was wearing.

 _I am going to regret this,_ Saiki sighed to himself before reaching over and slowly peeling off the tape from the package. He braced himself, but no explosion came. The cardboard for the parcel ripped off with the tape, and inside was nothing but the case these new glasses were in.

Frowning deeper, Saiki opened the case and lifted the glasses out, bringing them a bit closer to his face to examine them thoroughly. They were almost identical to his own. Same shape, same style, same dark green lenses, but the frames were grey instead of white. They didn't self destruct into his eyes as he held them, though he could see some suspicious wires running through the frames he was nervous about, and there was a tiny switch, just over where his left ear would be.

He clicked it on.

Again there was no explosion. Just a tiny whir of electricity and a sudden dull to the green of the lenses.

Saiki really wasn't sure what to make of them.

"Hey, Kusuo! In the living room! Yoo hoo!" His brother's voice suddenly rang out through the house. Of course. The living room TV had turned on by itself, one of Kusuke's favorite tricks, and there in the center of the screen was his brother, smiling brightly.

"This is a pre-recorded video letter, Kusuo," Kusuke continued talking almost immediately after Saiki had sat on the couch, "I just wanted to explain my new invention to you in case for some reason you tried to destroy it."

 _You mean because you've tried to kill me before?_

"I don't know if you've noticed Kusuo, but after hanging out with your friend Kokomi, I rushed all the way back to England without even a goodbye. Though of course, through my own sources I found out how sweet you were to Kokomi that day, eating all those sweets together and then making sure she was safely at home, and I, the big scary bad brother, was nowhere near her, before you returned home yourself. You're like a knight in shining armor aren't you?" Kusuke clapped his hands together like an excited child, "Oh and I almost forgot, I got this-" He pulled a polaroid picture from his pocket of Saiki and Teruhashi walking from the cafe together, and held it up for Saiki to see. "I don't know what you said to make her blush so red Kusuo, but look at you!" He pulled the photo back and turned so only he was gazing at it lovingly, "You're smiling! You're actually smiling Kusuo!"

Saiki rolled his eyes. _I do smile from time to time. I'm not a robot._

"Anyway," Kusuke chuckled and shoved the picture back into his pocket. "That's when I came up with the most brilliant idea. Glasses you can wear that will stop your x-ray vision all together! Switch on means no x-ray vision, switch off means x-ray vision for days! Aren't I marvelous?" Kusuke gave a thumbs up and winked at the camera.

Saiki blinked in surprise and looked back down at the glasses he was still holding. _No x-ray vision?_ The possibilities were already racing through his head. Never again would he have to see his father's naked body as he rummaged through the bottom drawers in the fridge.

This was the greatest gift his brother had ever given him.

Kusuke was laughing and waving his hand dismissively at the screen when Kusuo looked back up, "No need to thank me little brother. Just give mama my best, and tell your little girlfriend I'm sorry for scaring her. Ciao for now!" He blew a kiss to the camera and then the tv turned off, leaving Saiki alone once again.

Saiki stared at the black TV, then moved his gaze back to the glasses in his hand. Was it really such a great idea to wear something made for him by his evil brother? He had been seeing naked bodies, skeletons, and organs all his life, by now he was used to it. Sure it was still pretty disturbing to see your father's business right in your face, but a few seconds later it was just blood, muscle and bones.

But it wouldn't just be his father he no longer had to see...

Kurumi Saiki returned home later that afternoon from the grocery store, confused to find an empty package from london on her counter, and her youngest son's glasses discarded in the trash.

She sighed, " _As long as he doesn't turn papa into a statue again, I guess we'll be fine."_


	8. When the Blind Man Sees

Chapter 8. When the Blind Man Sees

Saiki was experiencing a whole new world.

After he had finally bit the bullet and shoved his new and improved, x-ray controlling glasses onto his face, everything just felt _different_. The pictures hung up looked sweeter when you weren't distracted by the wiring in the walls, and the fridge looked more enticing when you weren't sure what exactly was inside. The thrill of finding a single cup of coffee jelly more tantalizing when he didn't already know it was there.

He was over the moon. Delighted when the doorbell rang and he opened the door to a salesman, because he didn't know who had been behind the door! (Well... he still heard their thoughts, but that wasn't going to ruin how amazing this was for him.) And after slamming the door in the salesman's face, he was even more elated when he realized what the greatest perk of all was going to be.

TV.

Discarding his old glasses in the trash in the kitchen, where he now felt like they belonged, Saiki eagerly took to his room and turned on his TV. Not once did he have to readjust his eyes so the wires and bolts inside the TV didn't block the picture. Saiki thought he could cry tears of joy...

And he sat there, watching TV, for the rest of the night.

 _ **Hey, where are you? You're never late to school.**_ Teruhashi frowned at her phone, making sure to angle it just right under her desk so the teacher wouldn't see the light on her face. It was almost lunch time and Saiki still hadn't answered her text. She was starting to worry about him.

The bell rang, and the sudden commotion of everyone putting away their books and bringing out their lunches, brought Teruhashi back into the real world. Sighing under her breath she put her phone away as well as her books. She shouldn't be worrying about an all powerful psychic anyway, as he could definitely take care of himself. What she did need to worry about was the rumbling in her stomach.

"Hey, Kokomi!" Chiyo was suddenly bouncing on the balls of her feet in front of Teruhashi's desk, "Do you wanna eat lunch with me in the courtyard?"

Teruhashi grinned brightly up at her friend, "Sure, let's go."

The two girls found a nice quiet spot in the very corner of the courtyard for the school. Of course to find that spot they had had to dodge a few of the Teruhashi fan club members, and take a detour that wasted five good minutes of girl time, but it was worth it in the end. Sitting with their backs up against the school trees and their legs crossed in the grass, it felt a lot like a picnic that only the two of them were invited to, and though there was a few other students in the courtyard for lunch as well, they left the girls alone. That meant it was the perfect time to -

"Gossip about boys!" Chiyo squealed excitedly when they had finally settled in comfortably. "Oh, you just have to tell me how things are between you and Saiki! Are you dating yet? Have you kissed?"

The other girl was leaning very close into Teruhashi's blushing face, which was making it rather difficult to eat her lunch. "W-what?" She stammered, "No, Chiyo, you know we're just friends."

Chiyo rolled her eyes, backing away enough so she could start to eat her own lunch, "Yeah, but you're literally _always_ together now, and you still like him right?"

"I..." Teruhashi bit her lip, looking away from her friend, "I do."

"So what's the issue?" Chiyo asked around a mouthful of chicken, "You're practically already dating, just kiss him. Girls can start that stuff now."

"Hmm," Teruhashi sipped some of the soup from her thermos. She wasn't really sure if anything would ever happen with Saiki. Now that she knew so much about him and about how his powers worked, he just... She knew that he didn't think he could ever be in a proper relationship. And that was ok. She really liked being his friend and getting to know all these little things about him that no one else except his family knew. He was the best friend, besides Chiyo, that she had ever had. The only thing was that Chiyo was right, she did still have feelings for him. Feelings that she thought should have gone away by now, but still thudded painfully against her chest when she least expected them too. It was so much more complicated than Chiyo understood though, and since she couldn't actually talk about any of it with the other girl... "Did you make any progress with Kaido?"

Chiyo's eyes lit up, "Oh we've been texting back and forth non-stop. I don't think Kaido really knows what he's doing when it comes to girls, but he's just so sweet!" She sighed and took another bite of her chicken, before waving her fork in Teruhashi's face, "I know you're trying to change the subject."

"Did it work?"

"Sadly enough, yes," Chiyo smiled at her friend, understanding without words that Teruhashi was just too uncomfortable to discuss her feelings for Saiki right now, "Kaido texted me the sweetest thing the other day, do you wanna see?"

It was close to 5 p.m when Saiki woke up on the floor of his bedroom. The TV was still on, some game show playing on screen, and his neck hurt pretty badly. What time had he actually fallen asleep? He wasn't sure. He had been so enthralled by TV without distractions that he hadn't paid any attention to the time as it went by the night before. His stomach was growling painfully though, so he could assume he missed both dinner and breakfast.

He glanced over at the clock again. _And school. Definitely missed school._

Saiki was slightly surprised that his mother hadn't tried to snap him out of his TV trance for food, and school. Though realistically he was too far gone at that point to really notice had she been calling his name or not. Not that any of that mattered at this point, all of that was already in the past, and in the present he could smell pork chops coming from downstairs.

"Ku~Chan! You're finally awake!" His mother smiled brightly when her son walked into the kitchen, "Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes, why don't you set the table for me?"

Saiki did, laying out three places at the table while his mother brought over a large bowl of rice, and a second large bowl of potatoes.

"I didn't think you would ever pry yourself away from that TV," She clicked her tongue in slight disapproval but continued to smile as she removed the pork chops from the oven, "Did you have a bad day yesterday at school Ku~?"

Saiki shook his head, _No, Kusuke sent me new glasses,_ He pointed to the ones on his face, _They control my x-ray vision for me, so now I can watch TV without seeing the inside of the TV._

Kurumi's whole face lit up with joy, "Oh Ku~Chan, that's wonderful! I bet you're really excited for school on Monday so you can properly see the faces of all your friends!"

 _I don't really care about that._

His mother didn't respond to that, just smiled, somehow, a little brighter, and began to hum as she put a large pork chop onto each of their plates. Only a few minutes later Kuniharu arrived home from work, and they all sat around the table, happily eating the delicious dinner Kumuri had prepared, and talking amiably.

"Did you hear papa? Big Ku sent Ku~Chan a gift last night that lets him control his x-ray vision."

"Oh really?" Kuniharu nodded approvingly at his wife, "That son of ours is always something. He's always helping our little Kusuo."

 _He tried to kill me multiple times._

"I know! We'll have to call him after dinner and thank him for his generosity."

 _I'll pass._

"Do you have any plans for the weekend Ku~Chan?" His mother asked, turning her head to smile at him.

Saiki shrugged, _Not really, I'll have to fix my sleep schedule somehow tonight, and then I'll probably watch movies all weekend._

"Oh, I have a great idea!" His father clapped his hands together, grinning a sly, almost perverted grin. "Why don't you invite Teruhashi back over? The two of you love watching movies together."

Saiki's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, and he refused to respond, despite his mother trilling that that was "Such a great idea Ku!" His parents had to be the most embarrassing parents in the history of the universe. Still though, he hadn't gotten to see Teruhashi all day since he had slept through it, and she would probably be as overjoyed for him as he was for himself when she heard he didn't have to see a naked, then inside out, and then bone skeleton of Nendou every day.

Which is why after he had finished eating his pork chops, Saiki made his way back up to his room to find his phone. He smirked when he saw the worried text from Teruhashi and quickly jotted out a reply, before sitting back down and beginning to watch even more TV.

Maybe he had a problem?

No, he didn't think so.

"And then after the first take, the director said that I had read my lines in the most perfect way that he had ever seen in all of his years as a director! But of course the other actors had messed up their own lines, amazed as they were by my performance, so we ended up having to do the whole take again. But -"

Teruhashi was only half listening to her brother as she flicked her slightly eaten food around her plate in silence. God did he always have to talk so much?

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, so she pulled it out absentmindedly, expecting a text from Chiyo or Mera about their science assignment that was coming up, but pleasantly surprised to see Saiki's name there instead.

 _ **Hey, sorry I missed school today, but you'll laugh when I tell you why. Wanna come over for movies and popcorn tomorrow?**_

Smiling to herself she quickly typed out a sure, what time, before turning her attention back to her brother's story.

"Then the producer stepped in the most fowl mud you'll have ever seen, Kokomi! Which is of course why I only shoot in nature in the summer, or the fall, but never spring or winter. It's bad for my health to get covered in nature -"

Her phone buzzed again.

 _ **3 P.M**_

Kurumi Saiki was acting too weird for her son's taste.

One moment she was in the kitchen, washing dishes and singing a silly song about a flower, and then the next she was hovering by the door watching for Teruhashi. Saiki knew that his mother could hear in her mind how excited she was for the other girl to come and visit them this weekend, though he wasn't really sure why this time was any different.

" _I bet she'll look so pretty today! Oh, I just can't wait, is it 3 yet?"_

Was Kokomi Teruhashi so beautiful that she was actually making his mother attracted to her now? Saiki shook those thoughts out of his head quickly. He did not want to think about that.

To distract himself from his crazy mother, Saiki went digging through the closet with all of his precious, low rated DVDs. Trying to find the perfect one to start their movie marathon. At this point in their friendship, Saiki had already seen all of the movies he owned, and Teruhashi had now watched, roughly 80%. He frowned at his tiny collection. He used to own much more DVDs, before his parents had rudely tried to store two life sized mannequins of his father in this closet and tossed a fair chunk of the DVDs to the trash.

Plus, he kinda wanted to watch something new.

 _Mom, I'm going to the DVD store. I should be back before 3, but if I'm not tell Teruhashi I'll be right back._

"Ok Ku~Chan! While you're out will you pick up some milk and oranges from the corner store nearby? It will only take a minute."

Saiki shrugged into his winter coat, _Sure._ He would be happy to get out of this house for a bit and get some time away from his mother's antics. Plus, it was his first time walking around town without his x-ray vision. So the walk was much more pleasant than he ever remembered it being before. People he probably would have recognized by now if he had ever seen their face for longer than a split second, were just people now. Little animals were just little animals, they were even cute to him, which they had never been before.

The whole world just seemed like a brighter and happier place when he wasn't looking at what was inside of everything. Maybe he would actually have to thank Kusuke... But he wasn't going to. Even if the gift his brother had given him was making his life much easier, and happier.

Teruhashi arrived at the Saiki household at exactly 3 p.m, and rang the doorbell excitedly. Kurumi had answered the door instantly, hustling her inside with her usual cheery persona and taking her coat. "Ku~Chan went to the DVD store, but he'll be back any minute. Come help me in the kitchen, Teruhashi, I'm making home made coffee jelly as a surprise for Ku!"

It had all been said so fast Teruhashi blinked in confusion, only having time for a quick, "Oh, ok," before the older women had grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her into the kitchen.

There wasn't very many ingredients placed about the kitchen like Teruhashi had assumed there would be for home made coffee jelly, but instead Saiki's own Jelly Maker sat on the table, whirring happily as Kurumi made batch after batch of her son's favorite treat. Teruhashi giggled, "This wasn't exactly what I had pictured when you said homemade."

Kurumi laughed as well, "I know. But it's hard to surprise Kusuo, so I didn't have a lot of time to cook. Using this I can make a whole bunch before he gets back from the store and catches me."

"I guess it is the thought that counts," Teruhashi smiled and rolled up the sleeves on her sweater. "Ok, what would you like me to do?"

15 minutes later both women were laughing together over a story about Saki's father that Teruhashi had found so funny she could barely breath, when Saiki arrived home from the store.

"Oh Ku~Chan, you're home! I was just telling Teruhashi the story of when your father went to the zoo and-"

Teruhashi caught her breath, and turned to grin at her friend, "Hey, Saiki." But her friend was looking at her funny. His face serious, and his fists curled tight around the handles of the two bags he was carrying. He almost looked angry to see her.

Also noticing the look on her son's face Kurumi smiled to herself, "Sorry Ku, I won't embarrass you around your friend. I have to run to the store anyway, I forgot to ask you to buy bread. Have fun watching your movie, and help yourself to some of that coffee jelly, Teruhashi."

Teruhashi opened her mouth, wishing nervously that the other woman would stay. But Kurumi Saiki had practically sprinted out of the kitchen, leaving the two teenagers alone.

"Uhm," Teruhashi tried smiling at her friend again, "You're acting weird, Saiki."

He blinked several times, slowly loosening the grip on the bag handles, and then very slowly, the calm and happy Saiki expression returned. He smiled halfheartedly at her, _Sorry, my walk around town was a little weird._

Teruhashi's grin brightened at the return to normal, "Well, tell me all about it." She stepped forward and took the bags from his hands, brushing their fingers together as she did, and sending blood flying to her cheeks. Yeah... normal. That's what this friendship was alright.

Saiki wasn't really sure what to do. He had seen, probably over 100 faces today, but that hadn't prepared him at all when he saw her's.

So she hadn't been lying. All of those thoughts in her head about being the perfect pretty girl. Heck, everyone else's thoughts about her being the prettiest, they were definitely all true. It had all been made painfully aware to him when he stepped into his kitchen and there she was. Laughing at a story his mother was telling, doubled over and trying desperately to catch her breath. Her blue hair was pulled into a bun on top of her head, and her cheeks were pink from her giggles, and then when she turned and smiled at him, it hit him like a truck.

Teruhashi was beautiful. She had to be the most beautiful girl in the world. Or at least Japan, as far as he was concerned.

Now the only problem was that he wasn't sure what to do with that information.

Saiki wasn't like other guys. He didn't lust after the other girls in his class, he didn't want their attention, he didn't want to hold their hand or touch their face, and he did not want to kiss them. He knew those feelings were natural for a boy his age, and that usually boys wanted to do those things the most with a girl they were attracted to. And there she was, glowing brightly like an angel fallen from heaven, sitting on his couch upside down with her feet in the air and the top of her bun hanging off the couch. She was balancing a bowl of popcorn on her stomach, and she kept doing this really cute thing where she tried to toss some into her mouth only to miss and wrinkle her nose in frustration when the popcorn bounced off her forehead.

" _I'll clean it up after the movie, promise."_ She had smiled, not glancing away from the TV, but of course knowing that he could hear her. " _This movie is too good to move."_

 _Is it?_ Saiki hadn't been able to focus on it yet.

Teruhashi's gaze flicked over to him, " _Yeah, you don't think so?"_

Did his cheeks feel warm? _I guess I've just seen a lot of similar movies._

She smiled at him, " _Yeah, but now you don't have any distractions from your x-ray vision remember? You should be so much more psyched about it."_

She turned her attention back to the movie, and Saiki tried desperately to quiet the thudding of his heart in his ears.

No distractions.

Right.


	9. A Fortune Teller's Woes

Chapter 9. A fortune teller's woes

Auira was bored. Her long, perfectly manicured nails tapping on her desk impatiently. She had this odd feeling like she hadn't really done anything in awhile, and with her eyes trained gloomily on Saiki's empty desk, she was just itching to do something. Maybe tease the sweet, pink haired physic? It had definitely been some time since she had shown up and annoyed him relentlessly at his favorite cafe. She missed him.

"Chiyopipi..." She turned slowly to eye her friend that was staring into the rhinestoned crystal ball atop Auira's desk. Chiyo had her brows furrowed, and her tongue stuck out as she focused pointlessly to try and see a glimpse into her own future. "Have you noticed that Saiki doesn't usually eat lunch at his desk anymore?"

Chiyo didn't move her gaze away from the crystal ball, but she did answer, "I think he went out to the courtyard today with Nendou and Kaido."

"Yeah, I know that," Auira rolled her eyes. It had been adorably amusing watching Saiki's bored face get dragged out of the classroom by his two best friends. "But sometimes he doesn't eat in here with them, and his seat has been empty for basically every lunch period for the last few months." She sighed and tapped on the crystal ball with her nails. "Also you're trying to hard, relax a little."

"Thanks," Chiyo took a deep breath and unfurrowed her brow in an attempt to relax. "He eats lunch a lot with Teruhashi now too, they've been spending a lot of time together."

"What?" Auira hadn't fully been listening, but she could see Teruhashi sat alone at her desk, working on homework or something as she ate. "I never see him with Teruhashi."

"That's probably because you haven't been paying attention," Chiyo sighed, finally looking up from the crystal ball. "I give up on this, I can't see anything."

"Chiyopipi," Auira stared at her friend, "I always pay attention. What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well around the start of the school year, Teruhashi and Saiki started hanging out. She tells me about it sometimes. Apparently they watch a lot of movies together, but sometimes they have lunch together, or go to cafes." Chiyo giggled, "I'm actually so glad they've become friends because now I can get closer to Kaido. Could you imagine if they started dating! I'd just hang around Teruhashi all the time, because you know Kaido would be hanging around Saiki, and then I could-"

"What."

"Get close to him, and then we could start dating, and then we could all double date and-"

"What?"

"It would just be the greatest thing ever! Kaido sent me the cutest text the other day, Auira, you should see it hold on-"

"WHAT!?"

Chiyo flinched at the sudden outburst, forgetting immediately about her phone and turning to her friend. "Auira, don't yell! You're going to get us in trouble-"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SAIKI IS HANGING OUT WITH TERUHASHI!?"

"That's detention for the two of you Yumehara and Mikoto." The teacher glared down at them, having walked over from her desk to hand them their detention slips. "You can discuss boys all you want, as long as you keep your voices low, and you do the essay I'm assigning you for the time."

"Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am," Chiyo's cheeks were burning as she took her slip, it seemed like the whole class was openly gaping at them. Thank god Kaido wasn't in the classroom, though she felt horrible for her best friend, who had her head on her desk, with her blue hair hiding her face in embarrassment.

Auira scowled and snatched her detention slip out of the teacher's hands, "You wouldn't understand what I'm going through, you're too old."

The teacher sighed, "That's detention for tomorrow too. Don't act up again today or I'll make it for the rest of the week." She handed Auira another slip and then headed back over to her desk to finish preparing for the next class.

"See? I told you so," Chiyo looked dejected at her detention slip before putting it in the front pocket of her backpack, "You really should learn to control your temper, Auira." She frowned at the other girl and then got up and headed over to her own desk.

"Wait, Chiopipi, class isn't starting yet-" Auira started, but balked when she turned and saw the rest of the class still staring at her. She closed her mouth, feeling embarrassed at last, and turned to her crystal ball. " _Well..."_ She thought to herself, " _Maybe at least you'll give me some answers."_

Chiyo barely spoke to her for the rest of the day, or at all through detention. Auira knew she was upset because the girl hadn't gotten a detention since elementary, so she let Chiyo have her space. Once she got home and relaxed, she knew her friend would get over it and start talking to her again tomorrow.

It certainly helped that Auira had other things than Chiyo's anger on her mind, anyway. Saiki Kusuo, her one and only soulmate, was spending all of his time with another girl. And she hadn't even noticed? When did this happen?

Ignoring the essay she had been assigned for her detention, she focused all of her attention on her crystal ball. Whispering nonsense words into the air as they came to her head to get a clearer picture. The time she had gazed into the ball seeking her soulmate she had seen short flashes of images. The initials S.K, an insane aura, and pink hair. Saiki Kusuo. She had seen Saiki Kusuo, and since figuring that out she had found herself falling madly in love with the man. After all he was amazing. The most interesting man that she would ever meet, capable of amazing things that she had never dreamed to be possible. She wanted him, for her, and only for her, forever.

So she gazed into the crystal ball again, wanting to see what their future held. Again the ball had been kind to her, showing her that once they got together they could live a happy life. She would shake all of the straight edged seriousness out of him, take him to parties, get him to dance, get him to smile. Seeing those images of them happy together had confirmed everything she had needed to know. They were soulmates. They were meant to be, she just had to be patient and wait until she could worm her way under his skin and into his heart.

Which is exactly why she had given Saiki his space. She made her own friends, mainly just Chiyopipi, and did her own things, made her own money. And she let Saiki do his thing.

But he was NOT supposed to do his thing with another woman.

Auira scowled and focused harder at the crystal ball here in the present. " _What gives universe? You told me he was my soulmate, you can't take him away from me."_

And the Universe spoke back, showing her the same images. Her shaking some fun into Saiki, taking him dancing, making him laugh, them holding each other as they danced under some bright gleaming lights. He was wearing a tux and she was wearing a beautiful golden gown. Her heart thudded, and her scowl fell away.

" _Yes, that's more like it universe! Show me more!"_

The dance where the future Saiki and Auira were slipped away, getting replaced with a new image. A bright, happy living room. A green couch that she was sitting on, Saiki sitting beside her... They were each holding a baby! A little girl and a little boy... Though she couldn't get a good look at the little boy, she could see the little girl in her arms plain as day. Smiling up at her with violet eyes, and a cute squishy baby face framed by vibrant pink curls. She was precious...

But more importantly she proved something.

" _Saiki Kusuo is my soulmate and the future father of my children. Teruhashi means nothing, and I will make sure of it."_

Considering the whole school had been talking about Auira's little freak out, Saiki wasn't surprised when she came looking for him. The only thing that did surprise him was that it took her a full two days to do so.

 _This isn't really a good time._ He frowned at her over the large coffee jelly that had just barely been placed in front of him by Merra. _I came here to deal with my own thoughts not with yours._

Auira ignored him and sat in the booth across from him, "Please, what do you have to think about? How bored you are with everything, and how little you like your friends?"

Saiki frowned at her, pushing away the constant " _I love you's"_ that she always shouted at him through her thoughts when she was near enough. _Actually, I have a lot to think about today._

She snorted and pulled his coffee towards her, taking a long sip, "I have questions that can't wait for you to think a bunch."

 _You want to know about Teruhashi?_

Auira choked on the coffee, spitting out her mouthful onto the table, right where Saiki's coffee jelly had sat not .34 seconds before. "SO IT'S TRUE?"

The only two other people currently in the cafe looked over at them, _Lower your voice._

Auira looked livid, "Don't you tell me what to do. Are you or are you not cheating on me?"

 _We're not dating,_ Saiki reminded her, _Nor have we ever dated, Auira._

"We're soulmates, Saiki Kusuo, you need to just learn to deal with fate like that," She huffed back, crossing her arms and pouting at him. "Besides, you never liked Teruhashi. Why would you date her now?"

 _I'm not dating her either, we're just friends._ Saiki rolled his eyes and took a big bite of his coffee jelly, _I'm getting rather tired of people telling me I am dating her._

"Well you spend an awful lot of time with her apparently," Auira pointed out, "And it's not exactly like you're spending any time with me."

 _I'm spending time with you right now._

"But you don't want to be."

 _No, I don't._

Auira scowled, "Why are you spending so much time with Teruhashi?"

Saiki took another large bite of his coffee jelly, _She recently found out that I'm a PSY user, and since I don't have to hide anything from her she's become a really good friend._

"S-she..." Auira's eyes were wide, "She knows everything! And you let her?"

Saiki shrugged, _I didn't know she knew until it was too late to just erase her memory. Besides its worked out well for me._

"But not for me!" Auira hissed, suddenly angry and hurt again, "I know everything too Saiki, you don't have to hide from me either, so why aren't we closer friends!?"

 _I don't know._ Another bite of coffee jelly. That was the truth. He didn't know why when Teruhashi found out about him and his powers he felt connected to her. He didn't know why he liked listening to her stories about her family and her childhood. He didn't know why her jokes were actually funny to him and he didn't know why he liked to tell her his thoughts and experiences. Worse still, ever since a few days ago when they had watched movies together in his living room and he had seen her face without his x-ray vision... He didn't understand why she was so beautiful to him.

But of course he wasn't going to tell her that. It would only go to her head. Also, he was not going to tell Auira any of that, because she might break the cafe table, and he wouldn't want to have to pay the owner for the damages.

Auira looked like she was ready to cry. "You're making this so difficult, Saiki. The universe has showed me plenty of times that we are meant to be together, why can't that be enough for you?"

Saiki looked at her, slowly taking another bite of his coffee jelly. Auira was pretty, (especially so now that he could properly see her face). She was a PSY user, so she would understand him. She had never been wrong in a prediction before in all the time he had known her... Though he didn't particularly want her, he didn't really see the harm in humoring her. Maybe the universe was right.

And maybe it would get his mind off of the weird knot in his stomach that had formed when he thought about Teruhashi.

 _Ok,_ Saiki set his nearly finished desert on the table, propping up his elbow and pressing his finger tips together, _Auira I will take you on one date._ Auira's eyes brightened and she opened her mouth to speak but he interrupted her before she could holding up a finger, _One_ _date. I am giving you a chance to prove to me that the universe, and your prediction is right. Just give me a time and a place and I'll be there, you can plan the rest of it out yourself._

"Oh Saiki," Auira's tears were tears of joy now as she leaned over the table to hug him around the neck. A gesture he did not reciprocate as he had picked his jelly back up. "I have the perfect plan, you'll love it. I'll text you the details ok?"

 _Sure._ He really didn't care.

"Ok." Auira smiled brightly at him, "I guess I'll leave you to your thoughts. See you this weekend though."

Saiki watched her bounce out of the cafe, he had probably just made this the best day of her life. Frowning he turned back to his coffee jelly and the mess that was still on the rest of the table.

What had he gotten himself into now?

This was going to be the best day of Auira's life. She could just feel it. It didn't matter that she noticed that Saiki and Teruhashi had started eating their lunches together every other day, it didn't matter that on Thursday she saw them walking home together from school. Saiki said they were just friends, and she had good word from Chiyopipi that Teruhashi had told her that they were just friends too.

"Though..." Chiyo had hesitated when she was telling Auira, "Teruhashi had always had a crush on Saiki, so I guess I just thought... since he was spending so much time with her..."

Auira hadn't even let the concerns of her best friend worry her. After all Chiyopipi was also friends with Teruhashi and probably just felt bad that the other girl had gotten so close, only to have her man ripped away from her by Saiki's one and only love.

"How do you think she took the news when her best friend, and crush told her he was going on a date this weekend?" Auira had snorted in laughter to her friend and Chiyo had just smiled sadly, giving away all Auira needed to know.

She had won. And after tonight there was going to be no competition because Saiki would finally see that they were soulmates.

Having searched through store after store every day after school for the perfect dress, Auira had finally found what she would have to say was at least second best. It was gold, just like from her vision, though clearly not the same one, as this one was much shorter and more casual than the beautiful gown she had worn in the crystal ball. But that was ok. Though she had secretly hoped she would find that dress, waiting for her in her favorite women's clothing store, confirming to her that in fact _tonight_ was the night that Saiki held her close on the dance floor, and they fell in love. But she would settle for the fact that that night was coming, and tonight was just going to have to be the night that they fell in like.

Or you know, something else super corny like that.

She had informed Saiki that he was to dress up for this date, so she was very happy to see that he had donned a suit, a brown pin striped suit with a black tie, for the occasion. Though he looked a little uncomfortable standing at the train station all dolled up, she thought to herself, that he had never looked more handsome.

"Hey stranger!" She waved, running as fast as she could towards him in the red stilettos she was wearing. Thank god Saiki was so tall she could wear whatever ones she wanted.

Saiki glanced over at her, _Hey. You look nice._

She grinned wolfishly at him, "I know," She twirled, letting him get a good view and them laughed, grabbing his hand, "Come on, we gotta catch the train."

Saiki was uncomfortable. He had thought that Auira might have known him a little better than this by now, but clearly she had thought he would have enjoyed this kind of date, as she was all smiles and hugs, and weird grinds that he didn't understand. But he was not enjoying this date.

She had taken him to a club. Yes, a nightclub. Yes, a nightclub with tons of people, loud music, and flashing lights. She had flashed a fake ID at the man by the door, bought them each a drink at the bar, and then after he had slowly finished his (she did get some points for the coffee flavored liqueur) she had dragged him to the very center of the dance floor.

That's where the weird grinding had started.

Saiki hadn't brought his geranium ring, as this was supposed to be a date. He had figured his date might have actually wanted to talk to him, but there really wasn't a lot of talking going on here. There were thoughts screaming and swirling all around his head, and people kept pushing and bumping into him. He didn't like dancing either, so the fact that he was pretty much just standing still while Auira spun and rubbed her butt against the front of his legs, was admittedly really awkward.

Teruhashi would probably be making fun of him. Laughing at how awkward he was in a crowd. But he knew she would also take pity on him after five or so minutes, knowing how uncomfortable he was. He could picture her clear as day in his mind, taking his hand gently and leading him off the dance floor, into the quietest part of the bar, or out of the bar completely.

She would have understood.

"Isn't this so much fun?" Auira had to yell over the loud music, which was good because Saiki wasn't sure if he would have been able to pick up her thoughts if she had tried to communicate with him that way. Clearly she was having the time of her life, and he could tell by the looks on some of the other male dancers faces, that they were quite jealous of his position.

He frowned. _I feel a little uncomfortable._

Auira spun back around so she was facing him, still smiling brightly, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her chest flush against his, "You just need to relax and let go Saiki. Have a little fun for once in your life."

He did have fun. Watching Tv was fun, going out for Ramen with Nendou, Kaido and Aren (sometimes) was fun, watching movies with Teruhashi was fun.

This was not fun.

Auira was looking at him funny, "Just relax..." He couldn't pick out her thoughts in the loud swirl of drunken fun the other people in the club were hitting him with. He focused harder. Why was she leaning in? What kind of dance were they supposed to be doing? What was she-

Suddenly her lips were pressed against his. She pushed against him, hard, rough and wet. Her lip gloss tasted like strawberries, and a second later, her tongue tasted like beer. So this was his first kiss. Saiki tried to kiss back. Following her movements, letting her take control. But it all felt wrong, he just wasn't this guy.

There was no way he could be her soulmate.

Oh my god, this was really happening, There she was in the middle of the dance floor, teaching Saiki to have fun and let loose. And now kissing him! Auira had never felt so happy. He tasted like coffee just like she figured he would, and his lips were so soft, so sweet. It was perfect. She wanted more so she deepened the kiss, delighted again when he let her take control.

This was what love was. Public displays of how much you needed, and wanted each other. Passion and dancing. This is what the universe was telling her would lead to her happy ending.

This was-

Saiki pulled away from her, his lips stained with her lip gloss and his eyes a little wide, a little confused. She grinned up at him and gently pushed his head forward, wanting to kiss again, but he shook his head.

 _No, Auira, this doesn't feel right._

Her chest felt cold, and her smile was fading. "What do you mean?" She was still shouting, over the loud pounding beat of the music.

Saiki pulled away again, untangling himself from her limbs around his shoulders. _I'm sorry. You had your chance to prove your prediction was correct, but this isn't right. You must have the wrong soulmate._

"Is this because of Teruhashi?" Auira was suppressing tears, "You said you didn't like her."

 _I don't like her,_ Saiki shook his head again, _That's not why this doesn't feel right. I just,_ He hesitated, saddened by the heartbroken look in her eyes. _I really am sorry._

And then he was gone. There was a flash of blue light that had been timed perfectly with the lights flashing through the dance floor, and none of the drunken strangers surrounding her knew that one of them had suddenly vanished. She could feel tears start to stream down her face, so she rushed off of the dance floor, pushing away every guy that tried to pull her back and have her dance with him.

This definitely had to be the worst night of her entire life.


	10. Kurumi Knows Best

Chapter 10. Kurumi Knows Best

Teruhashi wasn't having a good week.

For starters, Saiki was acting weird. Ever since he got those new glasses from his brother he was different. Not with anyone else though, he was still bored and serious faced Saiki to Nendou, Kaido and Aren, but there was something different about the way he kept looking at her. She couldn't quite place her finger on it, and she didn't dare hope that he was looking at her in a new light. More so than anything it just made her feel like he didn't like what he was seeing. Maybe seeing pink hued skin was too weird for him, after all he had been looking at her inside out body for years now. Wouldn't it be natural for a person to get used to that? Teruhashi had examined herself in the mirror for almost an hour when she had left his house that first night. Despite seeing her usual perfect pretty self looking back, she couldn't help but imagine that Saiki was seeing some form of monster.

But, she had told herself, that was ok. If Saiki couldn't stand the look of her anymore, at least he was still hanging out with her. Clearly he values her friendship over her looks, and that made her feel all warm and gooey inside. Plus she was happy that he was so delighted with his new glasses. No naked Nendou's or wiry TV's could bring him down now.

The second thing making this week a bad one was her brother.

Apparently, he had just finished shooting his latest movie, and with no current projects going on he was home all the time. Teruhashi was about 80% sure that if he barged into her room "accidentally" while she was changing one more time, the police would find his body halfway down the river.

So she was a little on edge. Trying to keep her privacy private at home was taking a lot out of her, which was seeping into her attitude at school. Which was probably why she took the third thing making her week bad so hard.

Chiyo was staring at her again. The two girls were sitting in the courtyard having lunch together, like they had the week before, but Teruhashi had noticed immediately that her friend was acting strange. For starters, she wasn't talking about boys. Once they had settled in to eat, Chiyo just started eating quietly, every now and then staring sadly at Teruhashi like the other girl was dying of a painful, untreatable disease.

"What Chiyo?" Teruhashi huffed, after the girl was caught staring for the third time. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, you know your face is beautiful," Chiyo grinned halfheartedly, "You're always so beautiful, Kokomi..."

Teruhashi set down her rice and reached over to gently take Chiyo's lunch away from her, before gripping her hands tightly. "Chiyo... you're scaring me a bit. Are you ok?"

Chiyo's fingers curled around her friend's hand, clutching them close to her chest, "Yeah, I'm fine, I just... have something I have to tell you."

"You can tell me anything," Teruhashi smiled, "What is it?"

"Saiki and Auira are going out on a date this weekend."

Teruhashi's grip on her friends hands slackened, but Chiyo only held tighter, sensing her friend's distress immediately. "They're... what?"

Chiyo nodded sadly, maneuvering their joined hands so she could pet Teruhashi's hand reassuringly. "I'm guessing he just hasn't told you yet. Auira told me this morning she cornered him at a cafe yesterday and finally convinced him to give her a chance. You know the only reason she even transferred here was because she had a vision that he was her soulmate."

Saiki... dating Auira. Teruhashi could picture it. From what Saiki had told her, Auira's fortune telling was all very real, which meant she was a PSY user. She understood Saiki in a way that Teruhashi couldn't ever dream to. They had a shot at being really good together. And that sucked...

After a minute Teruhashi pulled her hands gently out of Chiyo's grip and composed herself. Though she doubted Saiki was really focusing his attention on her at this moment, he was less than 200m away, and if he was going on a date with Auira this weekend, he certainly didn't need to listen to her heartbroken thoughts. Instead she picked up her lunch and smiled a strained, but convincing grin at her friend.

"I hope their date goes well. Maybe I'll get to tease him over the outfit he chooses to wear or something."

Chiyo bit the inside of her cheek, and didn't reply.

It had been extremely difficult to keep her head in a happy place to keep Saiki in the dark on her feelings, but Teruhashi was getting scarily good at hiding things from him. Though she supposed it helped that sometimes when they hung out he coached her.

 _I don't_ _like_ _stealing your privacy from you. My parents have figured small ways around it so they can still surprise me for my birthday, and for Christmas. It doesn't always work, but if I'm not actively trying to figure it out, their chances of success are really good._

" _So what? I should just pick a secret topic and then think other things around you?"_ Teruhashi giggled in her head, " _What if I just focus really hard on hygiene products for women?"_

Saiki grimaced, _I probably won't be listening to your thoughts for very long then._

And he was right. As long as she didn't think heavily about the way her heart thudded when he touched her, or the pretty shade of violet of his eyes, he never gave any indication that he knew she was still thinking of him that way. She just focused on the movie they were watching, the conversation they were having, the lesson they were learning. It didn't matter if all of those other thoughts were in the back of her head, because Saiki wasn't digging for those thoughts, so he wasn't getting them.

So, confident in her abilities to keep her mind to herself, Teruhashi waited until the class was quietly solving math problems. Tapping her pencil against her desk, and staring blankly at the page, she reached out. " _Sooooo... you have a date this weekend huh?"_

 _Apparently._ Saiki's voice responded immediately. _She's been asking me to give her soulmate vision a chance since she transferred here. It was getting annoying._

Teruhashi smirked at her desk, " _That's not the attitude guys are supposed to have when they get to date pretty girls."_

 _What am I supposed to do then?_ He sounded amused, she wondered if he was smiling.

" _You're supposed to be excited for starters,"_ She laughed in her mind, careful not to do so out loud like she used to when they first started talking like this, " _I mean, what if she's right and you are soulmates? This date could be the start of something really beautiful. It might even be your first kiss."_ Though she would be pretty jealous if he got his first kiss before she got her's.

Saiki was quiet for a minute. _I didn't realize you would be ... excited about me dating._

" _What?"_ Panic, " _Why?"_

 _I don't know. Since we became friends the part of your brain that was obsessed with me seems to have calmed down, which I'm very grateful for. But most people get angry when their close friends date because they're giving their time to someone else._

" _Well, I guess I'm not that kind of person,"_ Teruhashi breathed a sigh of relief, " _Plus, I just want you to be happy. You don't have to hide these things from me."_

Silence again. Had she thought too much? She turned back to her math, focusing hard on the formula she needed to solve the next problem, when he finally spoke again.

 _No. I guess I don't._

Now, back to present day. After all of those things making her week bad, Teruhashi had to sit and wait for Chiyo, as the girl rummaged through rack after rack of clothing to try and find the perfect outfit.

"I really don't think Kaido cares about what shirt you're wearing during the festival," She sighed, looking down at the clothes she had hung over her arm that she was dying to go and try on. "Plus, it's still a month away. Can't we go to the changing rooms now, the shirts you have are all wonderful."

"But they're not perfect!" Chiyo huffed, glancing over at her friend angrily, "Kaido will think I'm a fat cow if I don't find the perfect shirt that accentuates my curvy figure."

"Chiyo," Teruhashi frowned, "You're not fat."

"You don't get it, Kokomi," Chiyo picked two shirts off their hangers and draped them over her arm with nearly 10 others that were already there, "I was overweight, and I lost the weight, but there's still this part of my brain that feels overweight, that I can't shake. It makes clothes shopping a nightmare."

"Oh," Her friend was right, she didn't understand, "I'm sorry you have to feel that way."

"It's fine," Chiyo shrugged, before grabbing one final shirt and turning around with a grin, "Ok, now we can go try some things on."

Teruhashi grinned back, "Ok."

The girls finished their shopping spree happily, chatting about boys and school to their heart's content. When it was time for Chiyo to head home for supper and they headed towards the train station.

"Oh hey, is that Saiki?" Chiyo pointed out, nodding over towards one of the trains that was heading further into the city.

Teruhashi turned, yup there he was. Decked in what she was sure was his father's suit, and looking uncomfortable as he waited for his date to arrive. He looked really handsome though. Teruhashi grinned, "Should we go tease him before his date arrives?"

Chiyo nodded enthusiastically, and they went to move towards him when Auira's voice pierced through the air, and she ran over to Saiki first. Her blond hair bouncing as she ran. "Oh wow," Chiyo breathed, "She looks gorgeous."

"Yeah," Teruhashi frowned, eyeing the low cut dress and red stilettos the other girl was wearing, "She really does. Let's go get to our train, yeah?"

"Oh are we not-" Chiyo glanced back at her friend, realizing how uncomfortable she must be, "Oh... oh yeah. We better hurry."

They made it to their train twenty minutes before it was even set to depart. Chiyo pulled out her phone to text her mom that they were heading back, and Teruhashi glanced behind her at the couple that were heading towards a different train.

" _You look really handsome."_

There was a long pause that made her think Saiki hadn't been able to pick up her voice with all the other people around. But then, just as he was disappearing into his train with his date, she saw him smile.

 _Thank you._

Feeling a bit happier, Teruhashi focused her attention back to Chiyo and allowed herself to forget that who could've been the love of her life was drifting away.

Saiki felt horrible.

It was a weird feeling for him, since he generally didn't care much about the other people in his life besides his mom and (sometimes) dad. But the look on Auira's face was haunting him, and making it very difficult for him to try and sleep.

The old suit of his father's had been removed and tossed unsparingly on the floor as soon as he had arrived back home from his teleport. Once free from it's tragic, shoe licking, confines, he had pulled on pajamas and climbed strait under his covers. His mother and father were downstairs watching TV, and he could hear their thoughts swirling around his date and how it was going, they clearly didn't know that he had arrived home. They weren't helping. His skin felt sticky and gross, like he had gained a small drop of each club goers sweat before making his exit. That wasn't helping. Those last words that Auira had said to him, _Is this because of Teruhashi? You said you didn't like her,_ kept pounding in his ears. That wasn't helping either.

He didn't like Teruhashi. He didn't like anyone.

Besides his mom.

And his grandparents.

And he guessed his dad.

Sometimes he liked Nendou, Kaido, and Aren.

Mera, Chiyo and Hairo were ok.

And he liked Teruhashi because she was his best friend.

His phone buzzed against his bedside table. Saiki poked his head out from under his covers and telepathically made his phone float over where he could read it.

 _ **I hope your date went well.**_

 _ **Makoto got a reservation for me at a new sweet cafe that just opened downtown!**_

 _ **Obviously, I don't really want him to be my plus one so... Wanna come with?**_

 _ **Reservations are at 1, let me know.**_

Teruhashi. She always popped up at the perfect time.

Saiki smiled to himself. This helped.

"So the date didn't go well then?" Saiki watched as Teruhashi examined the little cakes in front of her before pulling the one with a purple frosted flower towards her and taking a bite. "Why not?"

 _She took me to a club,_ Telepathy was the best thing in the world when sweets were involved as it didn't hinder him shoveling all the tiny cakes into his mouth. _Like, a dirty, booze filled, dancing club._

Teruhashi snorted, choking slightly on her cake, "Does she know you at all?"

 _Apparently not._ Saiki slid her coffee closer to her for her throat, _I felt a little bad leaving her there though._

"Well... you should," Teruhashi sipped at her coffee slowly, "But, once you apologize to her at school I'm sure she'll forgive you."

 _Apologize to her?_

Teruhashi rolled her eyes, "Yes, Saiki, apologize to her. You left her in a club, alone, with a bunch of drunk sweaty strangers. Auira might be able to take care of herself, but imagine if it had been me you left there. I don't have superpowers."

 _Neither do I._

"Yes you do." She took another bite of the purple flower cake, "Besides leaving her there, there's nothing wrong with not wanting to go out with her again. It's a risk of dating, not everyone is compatible."

 _She kissed me._

He wasn't sure why he said it. It definitely wasn't something that Teruhashi had to know, or probably even wanted to know. But the words spilled from his mind and into hers before he could take them back, so he watched curiously as Teruhashi froze a little in place.

"Oh..." She cleared her throat and took another long drink from her coffee, " _Your first kiss huh?"_

 _Yeah,_ Saiki wished she wasn't so good at focusing on one thing to throw him off. Normally he barely noticed, but considering her mind was carefully going over the colors on each of the pastries spread out across their table, it was pretty obvious there was something else in her head she didn't want him to hear. _I didn't really like it._

She wouldn't look at him, "Well, that's probably because you don't really like her. When you actually like a girl it'll probably be amazing." Her cheeks were so red.

Saiki didn't respond, but instead took a slow and thoughtful bite from a strawberry that had been on top of a brownie on his plate. He wondered, briefly, if it would feel nice kissing her.

"Anyway," Teruhashi clicked her tongue and Saiki broke away from his thoughts, "My brothers movie premier is two weeks from now. Did you want to put on your telepathy blocker ring and come with us?"

 _I don't like your brother._

She rolled her eyes, "I know, but with you there he won't act like it's some weird date between the two of us, plus you'll be wearing the ring so you won't hear his thoughts."

Saiki smirked, _Fine. But you're buying my popcorn._

"Heck, I'll buy you candy and nachos too, as long as you come," She laughed, a light and pretty sound, before smiling sweetly at him, "Thanks, Saiki."

His heart thudded.

" _ **Is this because of Teruhashi? You said you didn't like her."**_

Saiki blinked. Did he?

Kurumi Saiki never thought this day would come.

But here it was. Her youngest son was sitting at the kitchen table, watching her prepare supper, and looking extremely uncomfortable. She just knew he had something on his mind, and she knew that he knew that she knew he had something on his mind. So Kurumi just waited, patiently rubbing salt into the salmon they would be having later, and clicking the oven on to preheat.

After several more minutes, Saiki finally let her know what was on his mind.

 _A long time ago, I came to the conclusion that I would never be able to grow to care for anyone._

"Oh Ku~Chan, that's mean!" Kurumi clicked her tongue at him, "What about me and papa? You care about us."

 _That's different._

"Not it's not," She whacked the sink tap with her elbow, and ran her hands under the water to wash off the salt stuck to her fingers, "We might be your family, but there's a lot of people out there who don't care about their family at all."

Suddenly a hand towel was floating in front of her face. Grinning, Kurumi took it from the air and dried her hands before turning off the water and turning to look at her son.

"Is this because of all your little friends at school?" She knew better than to say Teruhashi, but that didn't stop her from immediately thinking of the blue haired beauty. Her son grimaced.

 _I seem to have found myself in a situation I didn't really expect. There's technically 9 people at school that consider me a friend, and at least 5 of them I actually care about._

"But that's wonderful Ku~" Kurumi walked over and gently pet the top of his head, "You have so many people in your life that care about you, and caring about them too only makes you stronger."

 _How?_ Saiki pulled away from her hand and wouldn't meet her in the eyes. He was so darn cute.

Kurumi laughed, "Because, if something ever happened to the people you cared about you'd have the motivation to work harder, or be stronger. Doing something for no reason doesn't result in anything."

He didn't respond, so when the oven beeped, signaling the preheat had finished, Kurumi walked back over to slide the pan of fish steaks into the rack. Humming to herself, she walked over to fridge and took out several things of corn. "Are you ok with corn on the cob as a side Ku? I just bought some from the store this morning, so it's fresh."

 _Mom, how do you know when you care about someone in a different way them someone else?_

Kurumi paused, staring down at the corn in her hands and letting the fridge slowly swing shut on it's own behind her. "Hmm," she set the corn on the table in front of Saiki, smiling when he immediately shucked them with his powers in a few seconds. "I guess we could do a test."

 _What kind of test?_ Saiki's brows were furrowed, as he sent the peelings from the corn flying into the garbage can and out of their sight. _Trivia isn't exactly fair when I'm playing you know._

Kurumi laughed again and scooped up the corn, "I know Ku~Chan, that's not what I mean." She headed over to the sink to wash the vegetables, and fill a pot with water. "Just think about all the people you care about, examine your feelings for them, and imagine who you could or couldn't live without."

 _I could live without anyone._ Saiki sighed and she swore she could hear him rolling his eyes behind her back.

She glanced at him over her shoulder, "Sure, everyone can live without someone when they're forced to, but whose absence is gonna hurt the most when they're gone?" Kurumi smiled, proud of her own wisdom, "Those are the real questions."

A few minutes went by as she set the pot of corn on the stove top to boil, before Saiki spoke to her again.

 _But I said I could never properly be in a relationship. That's what I'm used to, and now..._

Kurumi walked over to sit across the table from her son and take his hands, "Those glasses your brother made for you really changed your whole world didn't they Ku?" Her son frowned, and stared down at their hands. "Maybe this is something you should talk about with Teruhashi? We both know she liked you for a long time."

 _This isn't how I assumed my life was going to go._

Kurumi chuckled, "Kusuo, no one knows how their life will go. Not even all powerful psychics." She patted his hand and he smiled.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Saiki allowing his mother to pet his hand and hum to herself, before she had to get up and check on supper. Seeing his chance, he quickly made his escape up to his room. Departing with only a single warning.

 _Don't ever tell Dad that we had this conversation._

Kurumi smiled to herself, and focused on supper.


	11. Being Young, Trying New (11-24 10:21:57)

Chapter 11. Being Young, Trying New Things

"What would you do if I left you for another man?"

"Anastasia... don't say such things. I can do better."

"But can I ever trust you again, Paulo? How will I ever be able to love you, knowing that you waltzed the dance of love with another?"

"You have danced many times yourself, my love. Even once with... my Twin Brother Marco!"

Saiki's eyes were actually burning. How long had he been watching this soap opera? He flicked his gaze away from the TV towards the clock on the wall. It was nearing 3 a.m. He should probably sleep... His parents had gone to bed hours ago, but he was still up, his mind reeling, and the twists and turns of the corny soap opera distracting.

The woman, Anastasia was gasping, holding up her delicate hand, covered in far too many rings to her red lips. Her green eyes were watering with fake tears, and her short brown hair was blowing in the wind. Despite the fact that this scene was indoors. Paulo on the other hand was pacing the room. A moment ago he had been sad and desperate for Anastasia to forgive him, but now with the twist about her cheating on him with his Twin Brother, he was angry and distant. It was quite the flip. His golden blond hair rustled in the wind as well as he turned on his heel, stalked over to Anastasia and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her roughly.

"Why do we treat each other this way, my darling?" Anastasia sobbed as he continued, "I love you so, and you love me, but we do nothing but hurt one another,"

"Paulo," Anastasia cried out and her jilted lover finally stopped shaking her, "Please, I swear I thought it was you when I danced with Marco. He told me it was you. I never betrayed you."

"Lies!" Paulo threw both of his arms into the air and spun away, "I cannot look at you anymore. I need air." He stomped off the mansion set, and Saiki could plainly see the studio through the door in the second it took for Paulo to storm out of it. Anastasia sucked in a breath dramatically, and then flung herself onto the couch to sob.

 _Well... that was something._ Saiki sighed and rubbed his eyes, quickly turning off the TV before the next episode played and he got stuck watching more until 4 a.m.

Standing, he went over to his bed and stared at his phone, still blinking with unread messages. Frowning he moved it telepathically out of his way, and climbed under the covers. It was a school night after all, and he had plans the next day. He tossed a few times, resting first on his back, then his stomach, before flipping onto his side and staring at his phone again. Sighing, he floated it back to him and grabbed it from the air, swiping it open.

 _ **5 unread messages from Kadio Shun**_

 _ **Hey Saiki, we're going to the pool after school tomorrow you in?**_

 _ **Hey, I felt an ominous wind today, what do you think Dark Reunion is up to?**_

 _ **Nendou says he didn't do his part of our science project. Did you do any extra work or should I?**_

 _ **Dark Reunion is on the move Saiki! They caused me to not do my part of the project either**_

 _ **Aren says hi**_

 _ **1 unread message from Nendou**_

 _ **Ramen tomorrow, Partner?**_

 _ **3 unread messages from Teruhashi**_

 _ **Don't forget to apologize to Auira tomorrow! I'll be watching :)**_

 _ **Sorry I was so busy the last two days, Chiyo and I were working on our science project with Mera, wanna do lunch Thursday in the courtyard?**_

 _ **Hey, we still on for lunch tomorrow? I made you a treat :)**_

So she was messing with his sleep now too? Saiki frowned and put the phone back on his nightstand. He hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Teruhashi since he and his mom had talked over the weekend. Though she still cracked a joke or two to him telepathically during class, they had tests and assignments coming up and it was really keeping Teruhashi occupied. At lunch she would dash off to the library with Chiyo, and after school her and Chiyo had been studying with Merra at whichever place the other girl happened to be working that day of the week. Saiki was fine with that, he spent the last three days eating lunch at his desk with his "friends" playing cards and listening to them be their regular idiotic self. Plus, he was oddly nervous to hang out with her normally again.

He'd love to lie and say he wasn't sure why, but he knew why.

His mother had said to think of every person he cared about in his life and examine those feelings. To imagine what it would feel like to have to live without that person. Using that method he would be able to figure out who he cared about more than the others, or course it still hadn't helped him with figuring out what romantic feelings should feel like, and if he was sure he was capable of having them.

But still, he had spent hours going over each of the five people he actually cared about of his friends. Kaido, Nendou, Aren, Auira, and Teruhashi. Hours thinking about what he would do, and how he would react if they left his life for good. The first thing that came to mind was jump for joy, he always was looking for some peace and quiet. Of course he only harbored that thought for so long before he watched the little lonely image of himself in his mind get more and more bored with each passing day.

So he scratched that idea. If all of those people turned and walked out of his life he would be slightly hurt, but he would understand, and he would move on. Easy question. Then he listed in his head which one would hurt the least and which one would hurt the most.

5\. Aren

4\. Nendou

3\. Auira

2\. Kaido

So, ok, he cared about her more than his other friends. How was he supposed to tell if he liked her?

On Monday before school, Saiki had sought out Auira to apologize to her for the way he behaved on their date that weekend. He found her up on the third floor, leaning against a window and talking to Chiyo. Both of them glared at him as he approached, but he wasn't fooled. Auira was still hurt badly from their failed date, she was just a good actress.

 _Chiyo, do you mind if I talk to Auira alone?_

Chiyo's glare hardened, "I don't know if I should Saiki, last time you were alone you ditched her at a club!"

A few students turned to stare at Chiyo's raised voice. Saiki sent them away telepathically, and Auira sighed, "It's fine Chiopipi, I'll talk to you later." The other girl looked ruffled and annoyed, but she stomped away to their classroom anyway, leaving the two almost soulmates alone in the hall. "What do you want Saiki?"

Auira's mind was usually so loud, shouting I love you, I love you, I love you, over and over again at him and giving him a headache. Now it was dark and cold, just barely toeing the edge of hatred. He flicked his eyes over his head to check his likability score, but it sat at a lowly 46. That wasn't good.

 _I'm sorry I left you alone at the club,_ He fixed his eyes back onto her own, _I was just really uncomfortable there, and the date wasn't really going well._

"I thought it was going well," Auira huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "You're just too uptight."

 _You're right,_ Saiki smirked, _But I like myself that way._

Auira didn't respond, just glared at him and thought swear words Saiki didn't even know existed. After a minuted she sighed and lowered her arms, "Is that all?"

 _Yes. I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I know I hurt you, I didn't want to hurt you, so I'm sorry._ He nodded at her, and when she made no move to respond he turned and started walking back to the classroom.

" _I don't forgive you. And I still believe we're soulmates."_

Saiki grinned to himself as he walked away. That was fine. If she still believed they were soulmates then she wasn't leaving his life anytime soon. Technically, they were still friends and her anger would pass.

He could live with that.

Teruhashi had been so proud of him when she found out that he had actually apologized to Auira from Chiyo. Though he had barely seen, or spoken to her all day, suddenly at the end of class she had bounded up and hugged him tight. "I don't have a lot of time, but I knew you would do it. Thank you for apologizing to Auira."

Saiki had barely had the chance to register that her soft little frame was pushed up against his own, and her face was pressed into his neck, her breath wafting warm air against his skin and raising goosebumps over his arms, before she had pulled away, flashed him a bright smile and then ran off. She was already, somehow, running late to meet Chiyo at the school gates. Saiki blinked and looked down at the air where she used to be. He hadn't even gotten the chance to hug her back. Also, why did he want to?

He went home alone that afternoon instead of walking with the guys. Hiding with his invisibility in the bathroom until the other three had left, and then taking the scenic route home. Thinking.

Saiki's mind was clearly a very brilliant one. Being a psychic he could usually think extremely quickly, comparing different scenarios in his head in a matter of seconds where it might take someone hours, or even days. But he kept coming up with more and more scenarios for this caring about others stuff his mother had taught him. It was taking up a lot of his time, and now with this new goosebump feeling on his skin he had about a thousand more he had to go over.

What if Teruhashi left him?

What if she waltzed the dance of love with another man?

What if Teruhashi was sick?

What if Teruhashi moved far away?

What if Teruhashi met her soulmate?

What if it wasn't him?

What if he had to watch and hear her fall in love with this new guy?

What if this guy hurt her?

What if Teruhashi kissed him instead of hug him?

What if he actually liked this kiss?

What would her kiss taste like compared to Auira's?

It just kept going on, and on, and on. It was giving him a headache. He needed to watch some TV, eat some coffee jelly, and relax.

But now it was three days later, and he still didn't feel relaxed. Despite watching 20 episodes of The Dance of Life, and three made for TV movies, going out for Ramen with the guys, and focusing as hard as he could at completing a 3 person science project in one day by himself (which actually wasn't that hard... you know, because of the psychic thing). Teruhashi was still there in the back of his mind.

What if he could actually be in a normal relationship and be happy?

Saiki sighed and rolled over so he was facing the wall. He closed his eyes. He was definitely going to be talking to her about this tomorrow.

"Tada!" Teruhashi was so proud of herself. Smiling up at her best friend and holding out an actual homemade coffee jelly. She had always been a crazy amazing baker, but having never made coffee jelly from scratch before it had been quite the accomplishment the night before when she finally got it right. And seeing Saiki's bright, excited eyes were so worth it.

 _You bought me coffee jelly?_ He smiled and took the cup from her hand, eagerly peeling off the plastic over top and digging the little plastic spoon she handed him inside. _What's the occasion?_

"I didn't buy you anything, I made that!" Teruhashi laughed and started pulling out her lunch from her bag and setting it out on the ground. She had dragged Saiki over to her usual picnic spot with Chiyo, but she didn't think the other girl would mind since she had taken Saiki's spot next to Kaido playing cards for the lunch period. "And before you ask, no, I don't own a jelly maker. I found a recipe to make it from scratch, so it's legit home made, you're welcome."

Saiki's violet eyes were wide behind the green lenses of his glasses, _You can_ _make_ _coffee jelly?_

"Yup," Teruhashi swelled up even further with pride, "So now you can't ever get rid of me, because I made you the best coffee jelly ever."

Saiki took another bite, practically melting from joy at the taste, _You're right. This is amazing. I don't think I'll ever be able to live without you now._

She laughed, "Well that was my plan, all along."

They ate in silence for a bit, watching the cherry blossoms sway in the wind on the trees. Teruhashi liked these moments a lot. Peaceful moments, where you could just bask in the warmth of a comforting presence and not need to say anything. She might not have ever known this kind of pleasure had she never become friends with Saiki though, the loner king.

"I guess there is kind of a special occasion for making that for you," Teruhashi broke the silence and smiled softly over at her friend, "I wanted to thank you again for apologizing to Auira. I know it was probably awkward for you."

Saiki shrugged, but smiled back at her, _Not really. Maybe it was a little weird hearing her swear at me instead of say she loved me in her head._

Teruhashi snorted, "She used to profess her love for you in her head? That must have been weird listening to."

 _No worse than when you used to do it._

"Oh, right," Teruhashi awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck, "Don't worry I remember."

Saiki was looking at her funny, why was he always doing that now? _You don't really do that anymore though._

"Nope, why do you miss it?" She teased, nudging his side with her elbow, before taking another bite of her sandwidge.

 _Yes._

She choked.

Alright he had decided. He liked her. She was pretty and funny, smart and caring. He liked her a lot and he wanted to be with her. He didn't know if he could be with her, or even have a normal relationship with her, but he wanted her.

There. That stress was gone.

And now here she was beside him. Beaming at him happily as she handed him his favorite dessert that she had handmade herself, and thanking him for apologizing to a girl she didn't even like, and the wind was pushing her hair around her face in the cutest way, and he just couldn't help himself. He had to tell her.

 _Yes._

Teruhashi choked on the bite of sandwich. Her face went bright red as she coughed, and grabbed for her water bottle, chugging over half of it so she could swallow her food and gape at him with wide, watery eyes. "What?"

He watched her face carefully, trying to find any signs that she didn't want him to say this. But there was nothing, just shock and confusion on her face and in her mind. _I miss hearing you daydream about me in your head. Though the me in you daydreams was never very realistic._

Teruhashi's heart was racing, the red in her cheeks not leaving despite the food going down, and the wind picking up. "Well, I didn't know you as well back then."

Saiki slid a little closer to her, _So what would your daydreams look like now?_

Her eyes fluttered down to his hand, only inches away from her own in the grass and then back up to his eyes, "I don't know..." But she was too shocked, and distracted to use her usual thought avoidance tricks, and a daydream was playing out before Saiki's eyes as she spoke.

She imagined his hand covering her own, so he did that. Lacing their fingers together against the grass and feeling the softness of her skin. She imagined him sliding closer and pushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, so he did that too. Letting his hand linger on her cheek as she trembled lightly under his touch.

His heart was thudding so hard it was painful, _And then what?_

There noses were almost brushing, and Teruhashi was so overwhelmed. Her eyes fluttered shut as she imagined what it would feel like if Saiki actually kissed her, kissed her like she had been wanting him to do for so, so long. So he did.

Leaning forward slowly, Saiki pressed his lips against hers once and then twice. He kissed her softly, like he could break her, and he could, and slowly not to scare her. But honestly, he was pretty frightened himself.

They were alone in the courtyard since it was such a cold blustery day, but Teruhashi was warm, and she slid closer to him still when he kissed her a third time. Despite still feeling quite shocked, she kissed him back. Just as slow and soft, testing the waters for something this new to their dynamic. Or their relationship, might have been the better word.

Teruhashi tasted like coffee. But really should he have been surprised? He could tell from her thoughts that she had made several batches of coffee jelly the night before, tasting each one to see which was the best to bring to him. The result was maddening.

His favorite dessert, and his favorite girl.

Teruhashi was freaking out. Was this real? Was she dreaming?

This was her first kiss, and Saiki felt so real and warm against her that if she was dreaming she was going to be seriously angry in the morning. But she couldn't pull away, just his hand on her cheek, and his fingers laced through her own felt so amazing, but the kiss. Oh, that kiss. Could fireworks ignite inside of the wetness of your stomach? Because her stomach definitely felt like it was under attack by some heavy fire.

Suddenly Saiki started laughing softly against her lips. She didn't open her eyes, "What's so funny?" Her lips brushed against his as she spoke. Was she dying? She might be dying.

 _It's hard to concentrate on kissing you when you keep thinking I'm not real, or that you're dying._ Saiki pulled away slightly and lent his forehead against her own, _But I guess we should probably stop making out in the school courtyard anyway._

She opened her eyes, there Saiki was in front of her. She used her free hand to pinch herself just to make sure, "Ow!" She leaped away from him, rubbing the part of her leg that she had pinched. "Ok so not a dream for sure."

Saiki was smirking at her, _I told you it wasn't._

She glared at him, "Ok Mr. Smart Mouth. Then what is this? Since when do you like me?"

 _I just kinda figured it out recently._

Teruhashi huffed, "Well it's not fair that the rest of us have to be embarrassed and confused through puberty stuff and you get to act all calm and composed a mere month after realizing other human beings are more than just disgusting bloody organs." She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to pout, but her lips didn't want to form anything other than a smile. Saiki reached over and gently tugged one of her wrists so she would lower her arms, and then placed their fingers together again, letting them rest on the grass in between them.

 _I guess I'm just really lucky._ He smiled at her and she just melted. Which also, totally wasn't fair.

"You like me..." She breathed the words out, furrowing her brow and examining his face.

 _Yeah, weirdly enough I like you._

"And not just because you're blinded by my beauty like all the other guys?"

 _Nope, and I still refuse to wow at you._

Teruhashi beamed at him, "Good. I don't want you to." She squeezed his hand gently with her own. "So... we're dating?"

 _I guess so,_ Saiki shrugged. _Wanna come over and watch movies with me this weekend?_

Her mind immediately flashed to heated kisses and a forgotten movie playing on the screen. Saiki's eyes darkened a little. "Maybe you should come over to my house? My brother has to prepare for his movie premiere next weekend so he won't bother us, and we won't have to bother your mom."

 _Ok._

"Great."

They stared at each other in silence, before grinning sheepishly and turning back to their food. Both of their hands immediately cold at the loss, when they untangled.

 _Dating huh._ Saiki took a bite of his rice.

" _I know it sounds weird,"_ Teruhashi took a bite of her sandwidge. " _But I'm happy about it."_

 _Me too._


	12. First Dates

Chapter 12. First Dates

Technically you could say that their first date was the weekend before this, when Saiki had come over to watch movies in her living room for once.

It had certainly felt like one, as Teruhashi darted around the house making sure it was spotless, despite knowing that Saiki had already seen it dirty before. Makoto had asked her what she was doing, but she had yelled at him to mind his own business and then darted up to her room to get ready. Makoto was leaving at one and Saiki was coming over at 3, so she still had three hours to get ready.

But why didn't she have any cute clothes?

Teruhashi glared into her closet, fisting her hands into the plain t-shirt she always wore when she was cleaning. It hadn't taken her this long to decide on clothes yesterday when she saw Saiki, and they were technically dating then too. Granted she didn't have options yesterday since she had to wear her school uniform, but still. She felt like she was going crazy.

" _What does Saiki like, anyway?"_ She grumbled in her mind, shuffling through her clothes once more, " _It's pretty difficult to impress a guy that's never been attracted to people for more than a month! Does he like dresses, or jeans, or maybe stockings? Ugh!"_ She stomped out of her closet and flung herself into her bed. Saiki probably didn't care what she was wearing, and it wasn't like it actually mattered since she wasn't going to seduce him, or have sex with him so early in their relationship anyway. She wasn't ready to lose her virginity yet, and Saiki was super new to all if this relationship stuff too. They were gonna go slow.

Besides she wanted to be fully in love before she gave herself away like that.

" _But I still want him to think I look pretty,"_ She pouted to herself, flipping onto her back so she could stare at her closet upside down. " _Think Kokomi, what outfit do you own that makes you feel the prettiest?"_

The answer was most of her clothes, but she finally settled on black jeans and a pale pink blouse. Just in time to, because at three exactly as she was setting a steaming bowl of popcorn on her coffee table, a bright blue light lit up her living room, and she turned with a grin to see Saiki standing behind her.

"You're very punctual," She teased, and he smiled sheepishly at her.

 _It's pretty easy when you can teleport._

They sat next to each other on her larger than life sectional couch. Not really knowing what to do they sat a few inches apart and held hands while the movie started to play. Saiki stroked his thumb gently over the back of her hand and Teruhashi kept glancing over at him, nervous to scoot closer, or snuggle into his side.

 _You've curled into my side before when we watched movies._ His voice startled her and she met his eyes shyly.

" _Yeah, but now we're dating. It means something now, and I don't know what I'm doing."_

His lips twitched in amusement. _Me neither._

Feeling more at ease immediately, Teruhashi slid closer to him, elated when he lifted his arm without her asking, and settled snugly into his side. His heart beat thudded in her ear as the two of them turned back to the tv and tried to focus on the movie.

" _Saiki?"_

 _Hmmm?_

" _This movie sucks."_

Saiki glanced down at her and smirked, _You're right it does._

Faster than lightening, Saiki had lifted her off of him and moved them both to the opposite corner of the couch. He had one knee in between her legs, one hand braced on the arm of the couch, and one hand firm on her lower back. Teruhashi gasped in surprise at how fast they had moved, before being silenced with his mouth over her own.

They never finished the movie.

But apparently that wasn't their "first date". Despite remembering it rather fondly, Saiki was now very annoyed as his mother fussed over him. Taking his measurements for a new suit, because his father's old one was no longer good enough.

"Your first date with Teruhashi is at a movie premier!? You have to get a new suit, Ku~Chan! Papa's old one isn't glamorous enough!"

 _But it's not a first date. We're going with her brother._

"What you think that matters?" His crazy mother laughed, "Do you know what happens in a dark movie theater Ku? Little psychic grandbabies could be made, that's what!"

Saiki's cheeks felt warm with embarrassment. _I liked you better when you were calmly supporting my feelings. I'm only 17, you're not getting grandchildren yet._

But his mother didn't answer. She just slid her tape measure across his shoulders, and marked down their measurement on her notepad.

Sometime later, when Kurumi had finally finished tailoring a crisp black suit for him, and he had knotted the royal purple tie that she had bought to go with it, Kuniharu decided it was his turn to get involved with his son's love life as well. Stepping into Kusuo's room with a brain full of jealousy, Saiki's dad took a seat on the bed and frowned at his son.

Saiki raised an eyebrow at him. _You know, I could tell mom that you're jealous of my 17 year old girlfriend._

Kuniharu gasped dramatically, "How dare you try and make your parents fight, Kusuo, what's wrong with you? After all I do to provide for this family? With all the shoes I have to lick?"

Saiki rolled his eyes and ignored his father, knowing that the man would tell him what he had come in for on his own if he just left him be.

Sure enough a few minutes later Kuniharu revealed his intentions. "Ok, now," He scratched at his chin thoughtfully, "Kusuo, you know that when a man loves a woman, he agrees to marry her and be the papa to her mama right?"

 _Nope, no, we're not doing this,_ Saiki glared at his father, but Kuniharu continued.

"This is important son, you have a girlfriend now, and you need to know where to buy condoms, and how to properly use them, and do you know if Teruhashi is on birth control, or-" An army of socks, bed sheets, and pillows had lifted themselves into the air, surrounding Kuniharu, who gulped nervously at the look in his son's eyes. "Kusuo, you need to be nicer to daddy, he's just trying to teach you what all fathers teach their sons and," The army moved closer, "Kusuo you need to know this! Look, I brought in a condom and a banana-"

The army swooped down from the air and Kuniharu screamed as he began to get pummeled by the linens. "Nooooo! Stop it!" He made a few halfhearted, feeble attempts to bat some of the socks out of the air, but they only rose and hit him in the face harder the next second. "This is gross Kusuo! Don't you ever do your laundry?" A pillow whacked him in the face so hard his glasses got flung off his face and smashed on the floor.

"Not my glasses! Kusuo, now I can't see, how am I supposed to love mama tonight while you're on your date?"

Saiki stiffened, _Leave now._

Kuniharu lifted into the air and was thrown out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him. He huffed, squinting to see as he pulled himself to his feet and stumbled his way downstairs. "Oh mama! It looks like you'll have to take care of me tonight while Saiki's gone, because I can't see."

"Oh no," Kumuri called back seductively from the living room, "But if you can't see then I can take advantage of you all night long."

Saiki teleported to Teruhashi's house before his parents could get any grosser. Landing in her room, as he didn't know where else in the house her brother might be, he sat on her bed awkwardly. He had been in her room before, but not while they were technically dating.

 _Jeez, does every little thing feel weird when you start dating someone?_ He wondered to himself, adjusting his tie slightly. _I guess I better let her know I'm here. Teruhashi?_

" _Saiki!? Jesus, you scared me,"_ Teruhashi's voice laughed in his head. " _Where are you so close to my house anyway?"_

 _I'm actually in your room. My parents were about to have sex with me in the house so I teleported. Sorry, I know I'm early but I'll just teleport to the front of your house later or something. Where are you?_

" _Uhm,"_ Teruhashi chuckled nervously, " _About that..."_

There was a thud in the bathroom that was attached to her bedroom, and Saiki realized that water was running from the shower. He went red immediately. _Uh, you don't happen to have the clothes you'll be changing into in there with you, do you?_

" _Nope,"_ She sighed, " _It's ok. I left the dress out on my bed. If you just walk in and hang it over the door we'll be good."_

Saiki's blood felt way too hot. Had he lost control of his pyrokinesis? Teruhashi's room wasn't on fire, so that probably wasn't it. He coughed, _You want me to go into the bathroom?_

He could almost hear her rolling her eyes, " _I'm behind a curtain stupid. Just don't be creepy with your x-ray vision and we'll be fine ok? Besides its either that or you go home and listen to your parents have sex."_

 _Or I could just teleport to a faraway island and come back when you're dressed,_ Saiki glanced behind him, noticing the dress she would be wearing for the premier, for the first time. It was a royal purple shade, just like his tie. He figured his mother must have called her and verified a color before she went out to buy it for him. He picked up the dress, it was silk making it cool and soft to the touch, but with little lace flowers on the skirt that felt a bit rougher under his fingertips.

" _You could do that to, but you better hurry up and decide because I am almost done washing my hair."_ Teruhashi called out, " _But can you please tell me before you decide, so I don't step out of the shower? Thanks."_

Saiki glanced up from the dress in his hands towards the bathroom door, watching the steam trail out from underneath. _Fine. I'm bringing the dress in. Stay where you are._ He could hear her soft little laugh coming from the bathroom out loud as he walked over to the door and pulled it open, immediately getting hit in the face with a cloud of steam. _Do you normally try and melt your skin off in all of your showers?_

"Yes, actually," Teruhashi responded to him out loud, startling him enough to glance over at the shower, "It's more relaxing that way."

She was hidden away by the curtain, but she was right there. Wet and naked. Fuck, Saiki closed his eyes tight, and shook his head. He had seen her naked before. He had seen her naked plenty of times before he had fixed his x-ray vision. Why did this feel so different? Why did he want to see her now?

"Saiki?" Her voice startled him again and he noticed that the water had been shut off. "I know you're still in the room. Are you freaking out?"

 _A little,_ He smiled. Saiki didn't really understand why Teruhashi knew him so well, but she did, and that comforted him immensely. _Give me five seconds and then you can come out._

She huffed a little, "As long as you didn't turn off your glasses, that's fine."

Chuckling to himself, Saiki hung her dress over a little hook on her door that was supposed to be used for a bathrobe and then made his way back into her bedroom, shutting the bathroom door behind him. _You're good._

" _Thank god for that,"_ Teruhashi teased him, " _I'm gonna be a little bit. You can watch TV if you want. The remote is on my nightstand."_

 _Sure,_ Saiki did as she said. Flicking through the channels on her small bedroom TV, until he found a game show that he liked, and focusing his attention on that.

After awhile Teruhashi stepped out of the bathroom, looking stunning in her dress and her blow dried curls. She smiled at him sweetly when he turned to look at her but then disappeared into her closet to find some underwear and a pair of shoes. Once she was fully dressed and had applied her lip gloss, " _That's right world! The perfect pretty girl doesn't wear any extra make up. This is all natural."_ She joined him on the bed, both of them laying on their stomach with their feet in the air as they watched the ending of the game show.

"Kokomi! Are you ready? Your stupid friend should be here any minute!" Makoto called from down the hall and Teruhashi jumped, slapping Saiki on the shoulder.

" _There is no way he's not gonna barge into my room! You gotta go, go, go!"_ She slapped him again for good measure and Saiki laughed at her panic.

 _I'm going,_ He winked at her and then disappeared in a flash, right as her bedroom door swung open to reveal her older brother.

"You're watching TV!? Kokomi, you need to get downstairs" Their doorbell rang, "Oh great, and there's that stupid four eyes, why did you have to invite him to one of the most important days of my life?" The older Teruhashi pouted at his sister, but she just laughed at him.

"You've had 12 other movie premiers, this is not the most important day of your life."

Makoto grumbled, "Well, it could have been, you don't know."

The two of them headed downstairs to open the door, revealing Teruhashi's pink haired date, looking handsome in a suit with a tie that matched the color of her dress. Makoto didn't like that either, he himself had chosen a navy blue tie to match his hair, but now he wished he had chosen a royal purple one as well.

 _You look stunning, Teruhashi,_ The pink haired asshole smiled at his sister and offered her his arm, which Kokomi accepted with a huge grin of her own.

"Thank you Saiki, you look really handsome as well," She laughed and the two of them headed towards the limo that was waiting for the three of them in their driveway.

Makoto wondered if he had time to run to his room and change his tie, but he thought better of it when he saw that four eyed loser lean over and kiss his precious sister on her cheek. Furious, he stormed forward and climbed into the limo after them, glaring at them the entire ride to the theater.

The premier felt a little weird for Saiki. Not only was he wearing his geranium ring, so he couldn't talk to Teruhashi, even though she could talk to him, but there was press and cameras everywhere. He was lucky that Teruhashi hated the press, and had no wishes to follow in her brother's footsteps and become a movie star. Because of that, Makoto had paid a theater employee to let them in the back where his sister wouldn't be photographed. All three of them knew that if even one picture of Teruhashi made it into a magazine, she would be getting non-stop calls from movie producers.

So it became kind of like a job. They wore hats and sunglasses to hide their face, sat in the very back of the movie theater, away from the rest of the cast and the producers, and Makoto paid yet another employee to bring them each a popcorn and a soda. He and Saiki kept look out until the lights went down to make sure no one was taking pictures of them.

It was tiring, but Saiki didn't particularly want his face in the magazines either, so it was worth it. He just vowed silently to himself that he would never go to another one of Makoto's premiers for as long as he lived. No matter what Teruhashi bribed him with.

Makoto had tried to sit in between the two of them, but Teruhashi stabbed her heel into his foot, until he allowed her to sit in the middle. Once the older male had tearfully relented, Saiki and Teruhashi held hands, and from time to time she would write out a sentence on his palm. Though he didn't always pick up exactly what she was saying, he had made out " _I'm glad you're here," "You look cute tonight,"_ and a single heart that she traced out slowly, so he was sure to know what it was. It made him feel warm inside, and he smiled to himself in the darkness and squeezed her hand a little tighter.

When the movie was over Makoto didn't have a choice of not showing his face with the rest of the cast and director, so the theater employee from before shuffled Teruhashi and Saiki out the back, where they waited in the limo for Makoto to return. It was there that Teruhashi leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips, "I really like you."

Saiki pulled off his geranium ring, _I really like you too._ They had time for two more quick kisses before they had to pull apart and smile in different directions for the car ride back to Saiki's home. Makoto remained furious at the two of them right up until they dropped the other boy home, and his dear Kokomi wished him a goodnight,

"I don't know what you see in him, Kokomi. He's not deserving of you at all," Makoto pouted and his little sister glared at him.

"I like him a lot big brother, that's all that should matter to you," She huffed, and wouldn't speak to him the rest of the way home.

Saiki traced the lines of the heart she had drawn into his palm before going to sleep that night. Smiling in the dark, he wondered why he had been so against this feeling before, and then slept soundly through the night.

And yet still, Teruhashi didn't consider either of those their first date.

To her, their first date was simple. It wasn't formal, or over the top like a lot of first dates tended to be. It was just her and Saiki, at Saiki's favorite cafe. They sat in the same booth, and he draped his arm over her shoulder casually as they sipped their drinks and people watched through the window.

Saiki was amusing her by telling her some of the deep dark "secrets" the people passing by were thinking, and she kept snorting into her coffee. She loved his dry humor and sarcastic irony. He ordered two coffee jelly's, and he paid for both without asking her. It felt sweet, and romantic in a soft, gentle way. It felt more like them.

Later, when he walked her home and there wasn't a soul around to see them, a daisy plucked itself from the ground and whizzed through the air to hover in front of her. She had smiled and tucked it securely behind her ear for safe keeping. Saiki kissed her cheek at the door, whispering a goodnight in her mind before taking off towards his own house, and she rummaged in the kitchen cabinets to find a vase.

When she went to bed that night she was all smiles, the daisy placed safely on her night stand. She closed her eyes, and dreamt sweet dreams the entire night.


	13. 4 Becomes 5 (Becomes 6?) (Becomes 7?)

Chapter 13. 4 becomes 5 (Becomes 6...) (Becomes 7!?)

The jet black wing could always tell when there was trouble afoot. Especially when the trouble had anything to do with his best friend in the whole wide world, Saiki Kusuo.

Which was exactly why he kept asking Saiki to hang out alone. "We could go check out the new secret base I found in this abandoned building at the edge of town." "Wanna come over and play video games on my new TV?" "Hey, Saiki, let's go get ramen, but at a different shop than where Nendou and Aren are going today, yeah?"

To his utter surprise Saiki had kept turning him down. A few times he had made excuses. Saying that he had other plans, other times he said he had to do homework. One time though, he didn't respond to Kaido all together. Instead he just walked away, leaving Kaido in front of the school, confused and worried.

"I think Dark Reunion is forcing Saiki into doing something he doesn't want to do," He announced to Nendou and Aren as the three of them walked home one day after school. "Since he hasn't been hanging out with us a lot lately it must mean they're trying to make him spy on me."

Yes, he could see it plain as day.

They would be holding Saiki in a dark room, tied to a chair, with only the glow of a torch lighting up the faces of the torturers in the room. He would be crying, _No, please. Kaido is my best friend, I can't betray him like that!_ Bruises, already forming on his chest and stomach, places easily hidden by school uniforms. _Kaido! Jet Black Wing, please save me!_

It was worse than he thought.

"I think partner has just come down with a horrible stomach flu," Nendou scratched at his buttchin, "When I went to find him after class today, he ran into the bathroom and then never came out of the stall even though I waited for him. He's probably home taking the biggest shit."

"You're both idiots," Aren chimed in, rolling his eyes, "Remember how Saiki and Teruhashi started being weird friends several months ago at the start of school?" The other two boys nodded, so Aren continued, "Well... isn't it obvious then why he's suddenly not hanging out at all with us anymore?" The other two shook their heads and Aren sighed, "They're fucking you idiots."

"W-what?" Kaido went as white as a ghost, "But Saiki and Teruhashi aren't dating!? Plus if they were already doing something like that, we would have seen them hold hands, or... or even," He swallowed hard, "Kiss!"

Aren smirked at his short friend, petting him on the head affectionately. "You're adorable, Shun. But maybe you should put your big boy pants on for this conversation huh?"

"I still think if we just go to his house, his mom will tell us he's taking a shit," Nendou shrugged and then laughed loudly, scaring several small children walking in the other direction, "Partner isn't cool enough to date a girl like Teruhashi anyway."

"Nendou's right!" Kaido nodded his head furiously, "Teruhashi is going to marry a prince, or a movie star someday. She's way too good for any of the guys in our class, including Saiki!"

Shrugging, Aren scratched the inside of his ear, "Girls are weird. You boys wouldn't understand having never really dealt with them yourself, but there's no pinpointing what they want in a lover."

Kaido pouted, and shoved his bandaged hands in his pockets. He debated on mentioning to Aren that he hadn't had a girlfriend, at least since transferring to P.K Academy, either, or that Chiyo had been texting him non-stop for months, and in a month or two he was seriously considering asking her out on a formal date, but he didn't want to risk the other boy punching him again. The last time they had gotten into a small fight Kaido had went home with a broken nose... Uh but, Aren had been hospitalized. Yeah, you don't mess with the Jet Black Wing and get away easy.

"So are we going to get ramen or not?" Nendou whined, "I'm hungry, so you better decide if we're rescuing Saiki from the Dark Retribution or if we're getting ramen, right now."

"It's Dark Reunion, you moron," Kaido wrinkled his nose in annoyance, "Whatever, let's go get ramen. We'll figure out what Saiki is hiding from us at school tomorrow."

"Agreed." Aren cracked his knuckles.

"... We're not gonna fight him Aren."

"I know that," Aren's cheeks went pink and he quickly shoved his hands into his pockets. Nendou laughed.

"Partner wouldn't stand a chance against the three of us, he's so scrawny!" He almost doubled over in chuckles. "We'd shatter his bones!"

Kaido laughed as well, "That's exactly why we're not gonna fight the answers out of him. We don't want to risk losing one of my highest ranking soldiers in the fight against Dark Reunion."

Aren rolled his eyes, but he too was chuckling, "You're both right. We don't want to hurt our buddy. Now hurry up, I'm hungry too."

"Right."

"Woooo, Food!"

 _Good grief..._

"So they suspect something huh?" Teruhashi giggled, snuggling a little further into her boyfriend's side, and smiling brighter when he shifted his arm to hold her tighter.

 _We're not hiding anything though._ He kissed the top of her head, lingering his lips against her soft hair for a moment before turning his gaze back to the movie they were watching in her living room. _I mean, besides coming here instead of to my house, but my parents kind of ruined that for me._

"I know," Teruhashi winced at the memory of Kuniharu walking in on them making out, "It's probably because things have only really changed for us. We cuddle now, and," She raised her chin to kiss his neck, "We kiss, but no one else sees that, so they just think you're avoiding them."

 _I am avoiding them. They're annoying, and I'd rather be with you._

She grinned, feeling her heart constrict happily, "You can't just hang around me forever though."

 _I can and I will,_ Saiki teased.

Suddenly her world flipped the opposite direction and Teruhashi was laying on her back, against the couch, with Saiki's hungry lips against her own. She freaking loved his strength and speed, sighing happily, she dragged her fingers through his hair as she kissed him back.

But she was not so easily distracted.

" _You can't avoid the guys forever either, they're your best friends."_

Saiki bit her bottom lip gently, _Talking to me telepathically is cheating. Most boyfriends can get their girlfriend's to shut up when they kiss them._

Teruhashi snorted and pushed him away slightly, "That's mean, maybe I won't let you kiss me then-"

But Saiki's lips were back on her's a second later, and she didn't fight him away at all. Just melted into it, forgetting the rest of the world.

Teruhashi was not a very affectionate girlfriend when they were in public. It mostly had to do with her perfect pretty girl image, and the thought that if her fan club caught wind that she was in a relationship, they might actually try to hurt Saiki. Though he had reminded her several times that there was nothing they could really do to him, she wouldn't budge on this matter. Not that Saiki minded, he liked his privacy and for a little while after making Teruhashi his girlfriend he had worried that he was going to be giving up rather a lot just to be with her.

He should have known her better though. Sure, Teruhashi also liked attention, and she definitely loved to be adored, but she liked her alone time too. Valuing a quiet lunch with Chiyo or Saiki over the chaos of dealing with her fan club every day of the week. Saiki reminded her from time to time as well that she needed to take time to herself. Learning all about her fan club so she could have conversations with them that made them happy, only succeeded in wearing her out, and if they were going to let her exhaust herself like that, then they didn't deserve her attention.

It was because of this privacy, and lack of intimacy at school that Saiki could kind of understand why his closest friends hadn't realized that he had gotten a girlfriend. Though Kaido had no excuse, since Chiyo was well aware and Saiki was quite sure that she had already told him during one of their lengthy text conversations. If the Jet Black Wing was bad at listening that wasn't his fault.

"Oh, hey!" Speaking of Kaido, "Hey, Saiki wait up!" The other boy was running up to him, waving frantically. Saiki sighed, but stopped in his tracks to let his friend catch up with him. "Oh man, it's been so long since we've walked to school together." He clapped a hand on Saiki's shoulder, "The guys and I were just saying yesterday it's like you've been avoiding us."

 _I have been avoiding you,_ Saiki continued walking, though at a much slower pace as Kaido's little legs strained to keep up with him.

"They're gonna be so happy that we're walking to school together!"

 _Are we?_

"Hey, what are you doing for lunch later? I was thinking we could go over some stuff for the occult club."

 _Wait... that's still a thing?_

The two friends only walked for about two minutes before a horrifying sound split through the air, terrifying children throughout the neighborhood. "Oh! Partner! You're here today!" Nendou stepped out of the shadows like the crafty villain he was and clapped Saiki on the back so hard, that if he had been a normal human he would have face planted. "I missed you buddy, where have you been?"

"I told you Nendou," Aren was less of a surprise, stepping out from the much taller man's shadow and smirking at Saiki confidently, "Our four eyed friend has been slutting it up this past month."

 _Slut shaming?_ Saiki rolled his eyes, _Hard to be a slut and a virgin._

Aren continued as if he didn't hear Saiki, which he probably didn't, "Where's Teruhashi, Saiki? Massaging her knees?" He snickered.

Saiki glared at him. He would have called Aren out for being such a dick to his girlfriend, if it wasn't for the fact that the delinquent's thoughts were already swarming with guilt. The poor bastard was just trying to look cool, Saiki doubted he would do it again.

So they continued to walk towards the school. The other three boys keeping up the conversation easily, as they were all very used to Saiki's quiet demeanor. Saiki had figured that it didn't really matter whether or not he was huddled amidst them for them to be happy about their friendship. And he was kind of right. Not only were they friends with him, but they were friends with each other collectively at this point as well. They didn't need him to have fun, or play cards, or eat ramen. But as Saiki was figuring out from listening to two of their thoughts, they really did miss him when he was gone for long.

He frowned to himself.

When they got to school Saiki changed his shoes quickly, wanting just a second of peace before the start of the day. Nendou followed closely behind him, not even bothering to change his shoes out at all, and rambling something about his mom and his step dad. Saiki humored him. At least with Nendou he wasn't being assaulted with idiotic thoughts.

Teruhashi was already in the classroom when they walked in. Chiyo was sitting on top of her desk, legs crossed and phone out, jabbering on and on about an episode of some show she had watched the night before. Weary Hearts? It almost sounded like something Saiki would watch, if she wasn't spoiling it for him. Teruhashi was not paying attention to her friend. Oh sure, she was smiling and nodding, but Saiki could hear her frantic thoughts churning. Numbers whizzing by, dates getting closer.

Saiki frowned, she was worried about birthdays? Why today of all days, would she suddenly remember all of her friends birthdays and start freaking out about how close they were?

She was odd. But she caught his eye when he walked in and her thoughts immediately calmed down. She smiled sweetly, and Chiyo glanced his way, smiling as well. At least he had impressed her friend, somehow.

" _How was your walk to school with the guys?"_ Teruhashi's voice in his head was sweet relief, a distraction from Nendou's words and the rest of the classes thoughts.

 _Good, they missed me I guess,_ Saiki rolled his eyes, _And Kaido wants me to have lunch with them._

" _Could I join you?"_ Saiki flicked his gaze away from Nendou and towards his girlfriend, a little confused. Teruhashi continued, " _I'm fine with not telling the school about us Saiki. But your closest friends? They should know."_

He frowned, glancing over at the classroom door as Kaido and Aren finally entered. _They're probably just gonna play cards and talk about really dumb things._

" _Ok. I'll bring Chiyo."_

Saiki smiled lightly, " _Ok... but maybe we can all eat lunch together outside?"_

Teruhashi's light laughter filled his head, " _Yeah ok. We'll see you by our tree."_

Kaido Shun was not amused. Though sure it was nice that Saiki was here, eating lunch with them again, he had wanted to talk about the occult club. With just Saiki. Alone. That way he would have had ample time to discover if Saiki really was in some kind of danger or something. But here he was instead, sat for a picnic style lunch in the far side of the courtyard, on a windy day where cards would also be out of the question.

So really all there was to do was talk.

If only the other two idiots weren't here.

Nendou was currently in the middle of scarfing down a disgusting looking burrito from the cafeteria, and Aren was picking quietly at his salad. He might have been a little distracted by the wind blowing at the lettuce, but Kaido figured now was as good as a chance as ever to get some answers. So he leaped while Saiki was still pulling out his bento box from his bag.

"So Saiki, what have you been up to lately?" That's right Shun, keep it casual, look for the truth in his eyes.

Saiki didn't even turn to look at him, _I've been watching a lot of movies._

Kaido felt a cold sweat starting to from, "Like horror movies, or hidden camera movies?" Saiki didn't answer him. "I've heard a lot of good things about hidden camera movies."

"Dude, you sound like a pervert," Nendou cut into the conversation.

"What?" Kaido blushed, "No I don't!"

"You kind of do," Aren nodded solemnly at his shorter friend.

 _Pervert._

Kaido slunk back against the tree in defeat, "I was just trying to figure out what Saiki's been up to."

"I kinda doubt spying on people is one of Saiki's priorities," Aren chuckled, completely missing the sheepish grin forming on his friend's face. "Anyway, you should hurry up and eat before your food blows away."

Grumbling low in his throat Kaido picked up his apple and bit down on it.

"Oh! Teruhashi!" Nendou suddenly jumped into a standing position, Kaido choked on his apple but got to his feet as well closely followed by Aren. All three of them getting a little red in the face as Teruhashi made her way over to them with her lunch in her hands.

 _Seriously, you guys have hung out with her multiple times._ Saiki rolled his eyes and did not get to his feet.

"Teruhashi what are you doing out here?" Kaido was rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, his eyes still watery from the pain in his throat, "It's far too cold for a lady like yourself today. Maybe tomorrow when the wind dies down..."

"Kaido shut up would ya?" Aren slapped the shorter guy in the back of the head, "Teruhashi can have lunch wherever she wants."

"Oh, did you want us to move, Teruhashi?" Nendou started gathering up his lunch, "Here you can sit-"

"Uhm," Teruhashi finally cleared her throat, looking rather amused, "No Nendou, you don't have to leave. Saiki invited me to eat lunch with you guys. Is that ok?"

"W-what!?" "Of course it's ok!" "OH!"

Teruhashi laughed awkwardly, "Ok, thank you." Then she sat ladylike on the ground so the wind wouldn't mess with her skirt, right next to Saiki. Like, so close that his knee brushed against hers, and he smiled warmly at the contact.

Kaido, Aren and Nendou stared blankly at their touching knees. Silence overtook the group. Several minutes passed as Saiki and Teruhashi seemingly ignored them to eat their lunch. Finally Aren broke the silence.

"Wait... was I right?" He scratched the top of his head in confusion.

 _Right about what?_

"Aren said you two were fucking," Nendou, over it by now, had picked his burrito back up and taken a very large bite from it. Aren opened and closed his mouth, embarrassed and lost for words and Kaido went very, very red.

Teruhashi coughed, blushing slightly herself, "No... but we have been dating."

"DATING!?" Kaido and Aren both screamed in unison.

Saiki rolled his eyes, _Yes, dating._

Aren and Kaido were still sputtering over this news, but Nendou just shrugged. "That just means one more head at the table for ramen. Eh, Teruhashi?"

Teruhashi, immediately touched to be accepted by at least one of Saiki's friends, beamed brightly at Nendou, "Sometimes sure."

"Hey, I want to go for ramen too!" Chiyo suddenly plunked down next to Kaido, who went, if possible, even redder at her arrival.

 _You're more than welcome, in fact take my place._

Teruhashi elbowed Saiki in the side and the pink haired boy grinned at his girlfriend. The sight of his smile finally broke Kaido and Aren out of their pretty girl shock.

"Oh and Merra," Chiyo continued on their conversation like nothing abnormal had happened, "She loves ramen too. I'm gonna invite her as well."

Kaido just nodded at Chiyo, his almost girlfriend. Did she not see how suddenly different the world had become? Were the colors not brighter? Did the wind not feel warmer for her now? Saiki looked so happy... and as his friend Kaido was overjoyed to see happiness on the other boy's face.

But unfortunately it meant he was right all along. Saiki really was in danger.

Kaido watched as his friend kissed Teruhashi on the cheek quickly, when he thought no one would notice. But the Jet Black Wing always notices.

And Saiki was in danger of falling in love.


	14. Auira Breaks Down

Ch. 14 Auira Breaks Down

Destiny is bullshit.

Divinity is bullshit.

The spirits are bullshit.

...

Auira stood in her bedroom the night of her disastrous date with her soulmate. She was still in her pretty golden dress and her red stilettos, but her face felt sticky and heavy now. She knew it was because her makeup had ran badly while she had cried, but it didn't matter now.

What mattered was that something, or someone had lied to her.

Which was why she was staring down at the shattered pieces of her crystal ball on the floor.

"I searched, and I searched, and I searched for my soulmate," She sniffled and rubbed a hand under her eye to catch another tear, "My predictions have NEVER been wrong before, and you showed me Saiki! What am I supposed to do now?"

The glass scattered across the floor twinkled back at her and she sighed, leaving her room to go find a broom. Matters of the heart were not fun and games, she expected rough patches. But she hadn't expected this.

Once the crystal ball and all of its rhinestones were cleaned up and thrown away, Auira went digging in her closet and pulled out another crystal. This one was not bejeweled (yet) and had a sort of blue color tinted to the glass. She set it on her bed and then searched through the rest of her apartment for more supplies.

Her gut ended up leading her to a half rotten apple core in the garbage, a teaspoon of hand soap from the bathroom, two dust bunnies from under the couch, and a bowl of water mixed with two pinches of salt. Once all of these were placed on the floor of her bedroom in the proper order she paused. The ingredients for a fortune telling might seem weird to the average man, but Auira was used to it by now. She would just let her mind show her the way, and that was as easy as breathing for her. Sometimes all she had to do was gaze into her crystal ball, but for accurate readings and advice from the spirits, she went with her gut.

Changing from her date outfit and scrubbing the ruined makeup off her face, Auira returned to her bedroom in an over sized t-shirt and satin shorts. Sighing sadly, she tried her hair back into a wavy ponytail and got to work. First she took a small knife and pulled every seed from the apple core, arranging the seeds into a circle in front of her crystal ball. Then she took the two dust bunnies and set them inside the circle, pouring the hand soap over top of them slowly, until they looked like wet soapy rats. Afterwards she took a match and lit the apple seeds on fire. Realistically, the mess she had just created shouldn't even light, but the flames roared high anyway. The first time she had used fire in her predictions Auira had panicked, thinking she was about to burn her house down. But she knew better this time. Watching patiently as the flames licked at her ceiling and her carpet and didn't even leave a singe.

"Ok, that's enough heat," She whispered to herself and then gently blew on the flames like she was putting out a candle. The flames immediately went out, and the wet soapy rats had turned into little white marbles. Auira picked them up and tossed them into the bowl of salty water. The water turned pink, the same exact shade as Saiki's hair. She smiled, sweeping the apple seeds out of the way and pulling the bowl forward so its edge touched both of her knees.

The last step was to take the crystal ball and gently sit it inside the bowl. She did that carefully, making sure not to spill any of the magical liquid she had somehow created from nothing. Once it was settled in nicely only the top quarter of the crystal could be started into, the rest of it was submerged in the pink water, and the whole ball had taken on a light pink glow to go with the blue tint from before.

"Perfect," Auira sighed, smiling with pride, "I'd like to see Teruhashi do something like this."

Smoke began to swirl inside of the crystal ball. Miniature bolts of lightning cracked against the inside of the glass. Whatever she had done, it was powerful.

Auira leant downward to stare into the crystal, "Ok, show me more than you showed me before. Show me when we become soulmates, show me the baby girl, and please... just tell me what to do."

The lightning continued to crack amongst the smoke, but both were slowly beginning to fade at her words. Auira gripped her ankles, hoping beyond hope that her request would be granted. You didn't always get to see what you wanted when it came to fortune telling.

The smoke cleared and there in the middle of her crystal was her first answer. She could see herself, covered in dirt and grease, breathing hard on the ground. It looked like she had just finished a fight, or built a car. Though she had never done the latter before, she was almost ready to believe it by the large amount of tools and metal junk that seemed to be surrounding her. There was a cut on her leg that was bleeding pretty badly, but didn't look serious, and she was crying. What had happened to her?

Suddenly Saiki was there. He raced around the corner and stopped in front of her, also breathing very hard and looking quite beaten up himself. They started at each other for several long seconds and then he fell to the ground on his knees before her and hauled her into his arms, holding her tight. Her fingers dug into the back of his shirt as she hugged him back just as tightly, and she cried.

The image faded away, the smoke returning, and Auira sucked in a breath. She had always assumed that Saiki fell in love with her because she was more fun, and more carefree than other girls. But this was suggesting that something else played a big hand in their coming together as soulmates. Perhaps they saved the universe together with their psychic powers? She must have impressed him with her bravery and talent.

Ok... she liked that. It just meant getting the PK trio back in action. Sooner or later something like that would happen and they would be ready. After all the images did not look much older, if they had been older at all.

"Thank you, can you please show me the little girl now?" The baby's face had haunted her dreams all week. She just had to see it again.

The smoke crackled and began to fade, slowly revealing an image of a posh living room. This living room was different from the one her and Saiki had been sitting in with their future children. The floor was hardwood instead of carpet, the couch was leather instead of green felt. There was a fireplace underneath where a large screen TV was hung up on the wall, and there were shelves and shelves of books taking up the rest of that wall.

Auira whistles low, "My fortune business must be making bank," the thought made her extremely happy. She tried to get a better look at the rest of the room, or the pictures on the wall, but they were too far away for her to make out properly. She could see the clock though, which read out 6:30.

A door banged open and the little girl waddled in. No longer a baby but a toddler, her bright pink hair was already half way down her back. She was adorable, and laughing loudly as she ran to the other side of the couch so she could hide behind it. Every other second she would poke her head over the arm, looking at the door she had left open, and giggle in delight.

Saiki appeared then, behind the little girl in a flash of blue light. The little girl squealed, but she couldn't get away fast enough, and Saiki scooped her up into his arms, smirking at her. _Found you._

"No, no daddy, not fair!" The girl screamed with mirth as her father began to tickle her sides. "I don't wanna take a bath!"

Saiki stopped tickling her and pressed a finger lightly against her nose, _You have to take a bath. Otherwise you'll smell so bad, I won't want to hug you anymore._

"I'll just hug mommy."

 _She won't want to hug you anymore either._

The girl stuck out her bottom lip, but Saiki seemed unaffected by her charms. After a minute she relented, "Ok... but I want a cookie after."

Saiki kissed the top of her head with a laugh, _One cookie. Then bedtime._

"Yay!" There was a flash of blue again, and the two of them were gone. The smoke started to swirl in her crystal ball again, but Auira wasn't really paying attention.

How sweet, and how precious. Saiki was going to be such an amazing father and her heart was so swollen from emotions she could barely breathe. God she wanted that future. She wanted it so badly it hurt.

The lightning began to crackle against the glass again, snapping Auira out of her daydreams. She cleared her throat, "Uhm... right. Yeah. Thank you. Please, just tell me what to do to make that future happen."

She must have waited, staring into the smoke and the lightning for 30 minutes as the spirits and the divine figured out the answer to her question. But finally, finally, the smoke cleared, and in its wake were three short sentences.

 **This future is already on track.**

 **Follow your gut, do your part, and allow it to unfold.**

 **All of your questions will be answered at the end.**

She reached forward to touch the crystal ball, feeling hope swirl through her once again at these words. Before she was able to touch the crystal, however, a massive crack splintered its surface. The smoke and the lightning evaporated, and the pink water turned back to normal, gross, salty water with two soapy dust bunnies floating inside.

"Well," Auira laughed to herself, "That's two crystal balls lost tonight." She picked up the apple core and the seeds and tossed them into the water before taking the whole bowl and dumping everything into the trash.

Once her bedroom was clean again she dug through her closet a second time and pulled out another crystal ball. Examining this one closely she smiled, "You'll do nicely." And then she spent the rest of her night bedazzling it to her satisfaction.

Though she had been filled with hope at the words of the spirits, the divine, or whatever, Auira was still pretty pissed off at Saiki for leaving her at the bar alone. She found her anger getting worse and worse as she recounted her date for Chiyopipi over the phone on Sunday.

"He did what!?" The other girl had screamed over the phone, "Is he stupid?"

And it got worse still when she had to actually see his face again in person, though at this point she wasn't sure if the anger was fully at him. Part of it definitely felt like she was just angry at the universe for making this process so hard for her. Either way, when he apologized to her she allowed her anger to mask her other thoughts. Saiki had given her a chance to prove their destiny to him and she had failed. Their future was already set on its path though, she just had to shield her heart and let it happen. She could do that.

And since it seemed like she was going to be waiting for awhile, she figured she had some time to be mad at him for being a jerk.

A month or so went by. Auira wasn't really paying attention. She had been very focused on getting the PK Psychic Trio back into action, knowing they really needed to be whipped into shape if they were going to have to fight. Saiki had proven impossible to get a hold of, always off doing something else with his own dumb friends (so she assumed) so she focused instead on Toritsuka. After all, Saiki was already in fighting condition, it was her and the ghostly pervert that needed the practice.

"Remind me why we've been working out every lunch period for a month?" Toritsuka was panting and sweaty already, and they hadn't even made it down to the gym yet. "Isn't phys. ed torture enough?"

Auira rolled her eyes, "It wouldn't be if you were actually in shape. And I told you already that Saiki wants us to be ready in case something happens and we have to jump into action."

Toritsuka sighed dramatically, running a hand through his purple hair and grimacing when he felt how sweaty he already was, just from lugging around his and Auira's gym bag. "Why did Saiki only tell you this information anyway? I've known him way longer than you."

"But I spend more time with him."

"Only because your in the same class as him," He rolled his eyes, but perked up suddenly, staring happily at a wall. "She's where? In the courtyard? Why does that matter? Uh huh..." He stopped in his tracks.

Auira sighed, stopping to wait for him and tapping her foot. She hated when he stopped to talk to ghosts, it felt creepy. Especially since the only things they ever told him were perverted facts about the girls around the school. "Is this gonna take long?"

Toritsuka ignored her, "Her panties are pink eh?" He was practically drooling, "Wait. She's outside in a skirt in this weather!?" And then he was running down the hallway, taking her gym bag along with him.

"Oi! Toritsuka get back here!" Auira called after him before running herself. The last thing she needed was for him to realize he had her change of clothes and do weird, pervy things to them.

As it turned out that was the least of her problems.

Toritsuka had stopped just a couple hallways away from where they had started. Panting heavily he was leaning half way out the window just to get a better look into the courtyard. Auira felt bad for whatever girl was outside in this wind. Honestly, she felt bad for all the girls in this school, knowing that he was in it.

"You perv! You shouldn't be running around just to get a glimpse up a girl's skirt!" Auira huffed when she finally made it up to him. She slapped him hard across the back of the head and yanked her gym bag off his arm. "Honestly, you're hopeless. Meet me at the gym when you're done here, because I'm not waiting-"

"No, wait, Auira," Toritsuka turned and grabbed her wrist, "Wait, you gotta see this."

Auira snatched her hand away from him, "I'm not interested in pink panties, pervert."

"It's not panties," he rolled his eyes and pointed down towards the very back of the courtyard, "It's Saiki."

Frowning, Auira turned and looked where he was pointing. There Saiki was, sitting underneath a tree with Nendou, Kaido, Aren, Chiyo and Teruhashi. Normally she would have just shrugged, and walked away, but there was something about this picture that was making her blood run cold. No it wasn't the fact that Teruhashi was there with him, she knew they were some kind of weird best friends. No it wasn't that her best friend Chiyopipi was there either. Auira had neglected her a bit this last month to train, and Chiyo had been friends with Teruhashi before she had ever met Auira. That was fine.

No, what was making her blood run cold was Saiki's lips, pressed gently on Teruhashi's cheek.

"How long do you think that's been going on for?" Toritsuka broke the silence, "It's not fair honestly. He already has the most powers, why does he get the prettiest girl too-"

 **WHAM**

"Ow!" Toritsuka stumbled backwards with a howl of pain, gripping his face with both hands. "What the fuck, Auira!? You broke my nose!"

Auira's first was throbbing like crazy, so she figured he was right. But she didn't apologize, nor did she stick around to make sure he got to the nurse ok. She could already faintly hear the sound of concerned classmates beyond the pounding in her chest and her head. Toritsuka would be fine.

But she wouldn't.

She could already feel the tears pouring down her face, but her eyes were still on Saiki and Teruhashi. The images in the crystal she had so lovingly gone over and over in her head since seeing them, were crashing to the floor. Shattering, like the crystal balls she had viewed them in.

What the fuck was this universe!? She was supposed to sit and let this unfold!?

Someone put a hand on her shoulder. She glanced back at him. Hairo from her class. The spiky red hair and eyebrows gave him away immediately, he looked angry. Oh, right she was probably in trouble for breaking Toritsuka's nose. Hairo said something about taking her to the nurse for her hand, which was already starting to bruise pretty badly around the knuckles, and then going to see Matsuzaki, but she barely heard him.

But she felt it when he started to pull her away. That's when the screaming started.

"Jesus christ," Hairo let go of her shoulder, "Auira, are you in pain? Come on, you gotta push yourself through it. We can make it to the nurses office together."

Auira stopped screaming abruptly, clutching her sides as her world, her heart, her future crumbled around her. She had to get out of here. She had to.

So she ran. Dropping her gym bag because it would only slow her down, she ran through the hallways, skillfully dodging students and teacher's attempts to stop her and calm her down. She ran from the school, and through the town. Only stopping when she made it back to her apartment, where she could crash into her bed, and scream into her pillow.

"DESTINY IS BULLSHIT!"

"DIVINITY IS BULLSHIT!"

"THE SPIRITS ARE ALL BULLSHIT!"

She screamed it over and over again into her pillow, sobbing until her lungs were sore, and her tear glands dry. She felt like she was going crazy. To be told one thing and to hope, to try again and again and again and still only be second best. She was the better choice! Logically, and emotionally on paper, she was the better choice for Saiki. She just couldn't, wouldn't accept this new turn of events. Somehow, some way, she had to wait out this torture until she was gifted with her proper future.

But just how long would she have to wait?

Not that long actually. As three days later, still bundled up and sad in her apartment, Auira got a knock on her door.

She pulled herself slowly out of the blanket burrito she had made on her couch for watching TV. Annoyed at the world and already pissed at whoever was at the door. Probably one of her neighbors complaining again about the volume of her nightly wailing. If any of them were fortune tellers too, they would understand.

She swung open the door, "What!?" But there was no one there. Confused, and even more annoyed Auira took a single step out into the hallway to look around. She saw no one. Frowning, she glanced down at the floor, there was a small parcel at her feet. "Oh..." She immediately felt guilty for being so angry at the mailman. "Whoops," she sighed and picked up the parcel, bringing it inside and slamming her door shut.

The parcel was small and didn't make any rattling sounds when she shook it. But Auira didn't remember ordering anything recently, so she was weary. Who in the world from, she glanced at the return address, London (England?) would want to send anything to her?

There was a small note folded in half on the side of the box she hadn't noticed. Curious, Auira flipped it open, but it only had seven words.

 **I can help you with your problem.**

Normally, this would be a huge red flag. Especially for someone that had the ability to see into the future like she did. Shouldn't she have seen this coming? Well, not necessarily. She didn't know everything that was lurking around the corner. But there was definitely something about this parcel that didn't feel right.

But she didn't overly care right now. Quickly, Auira tore open the package, hoping desperately for a distraction or at least a clue as to who knew so much about her life. Inside, there was another box. Black and sleek, similar to the kind of box you would get from a jewelry store after purchasing a necklace. Inside were just two antenna looking hairpins and another note.

Wait. They weren't hairpins at all were they? They were just two antenna. Two antenna that were identical to the ones Saiki always wore to control his powers.

Feeling a bit frightened now, and rightly so, Auira opened the new note.

 **Wait for my instructions and do exactly as I say, and I promise you'll have your soulmate back.**

 **S.K**

She read it again over and over. Not really sure what to make of it, but unable to deny that she was tempted. Tempted to ignore divinity and take matters into her own hands. She was so so tempted to do something to never feel this pain again.

So now the only question was, how badly did she want the future she had been promised?


	15. The School Trip

Ch. 15 The School Trip

Not everything about Teruhashi's new boyfriend, Saiki Kusuo, was perfect. Sometimes he was a little hard to read, because of his overly sarcastic nature, and sometimes he knew exactly what she was thinking, even when she didn't want him to. Now that they were dating Saiki had a bad habit of digging through her thoughts, making her regular techniques pretty useless against the powerful psychic. While there was nothing in her head she was ashamed of, it did make it pretty hard to try and surprise her boyfriend.

Oh, and she supposed he was also super powered. But really, was that actually a flaw?

Besides, it was because of Saiki's super human abilities that she was finding herself on the eve of another school trip. Despite her class having traveled out to Okinawa the year before, it was an annual trip for the year two students at P.K Academy. Which meant, since they were still in year two they got to go again. This would be their fourth trip to the tourist attraction, and she had no problem with that. In fact she was just as excited to go as she had been the first year. Maybe more so, as this year her group was just as perfect as it had been the year before. Herself, Chiyo, Mera, Saiki, Nendou, Aren, and Auira.

Teruhashi paused, holding her pale blue bikini over her suitcase, and frowning.

Ok, it wasn't as perfect as it was last year. If she was fully honest with herself she wasn't thrilled that Auira was part of her group. It was well known throughout the school that the fortune teller with the hots for Saiki, had had a mental breakdown the month before when she spotted Saiki kiss Teruhashi on the cheek through a window. Not only had it completely blown Teruhashi's cover with her fan club (causing Saiki to have to deal with an onslaught of threats from the concerned boys) but it proved that Auira was not over Saiki, and a bit emotional when it came to the pink haired psychic. Teruhashi was hoping to have a little bit of touristy, romantic fun with her boyfriend on the trip this year, but she was worried that Auira could flip out at any moment and ruin the entire thing. She wasn't sure what to do about it.

 _You're thinking too much again,_ Saiki's voice interrupted her musings and Teruhashi glanced over at him. He had been lying in her bed for the past hour and a half, keeping to himself as he watched a very corny soap opera on the TV that was hung on her wall next to her vanity. He didn't turn his head away from the soap opera to look at her, but Teruhashi could see the ghost of a smile forming from the side of his face.

"I can't just shut off my brain," She chewed on her bottom lip for a second before dropping the bikini into the suitcase at the end of her bed and climbing up to lay beside him. "Aren't you a little worried too?"

Saiki met her eyes briefly before turning his attention back to the show with a shrug, _Not really. I'm sure you're going to keep me busy the entire three days in Okinawa, if Auira does freak out at any point I'll handle it._

Teruhashi grinned at him, poking him teasingly on his chest, "You're gonna make sure I have the greatest school trip ever, huh?"

He rolled his eyes, but she could see him struggling not to smile, _You planned out the greatest school trip ever. I'm just enforcing your rules._

"Mhm, because you're my bodyguard now," Teruhashi smirked and poked him again, "And because you caaaaaaaaaaaaare."

Saiki grabbed her wrist before she could poke him again, his full attention away from Paulo and Anastasia at last, _You're playing a dangerous game, messing with a psychic._

She stuck her tongue out at him, "You're not scary."

 _Oh yeah?_

"Yeah!"

 _Really?_

"Really!" She wriggled her finger, managing to move it just enough that it brushed against Saiki's chest in a pathetic attempt at a poke.

He lowered his gaze to where her finger was on his shirt and then, with an amused grin, back up to meet her eyes. _You're gonna get it now._

He lept at her. Teruhashi squealed, barely able to breathe from laughter as his fingers found her sides, and wriggled. Tickling was her biggest weakness, and her smart ass boyfriend had found that out more than once already. She wrestled against him, squirming and laughing, but it was no use. Saiki was far too strong. Once she was sure her lungs would burst from lack of air she decided she would have to admit defeat. "Ok, ok! You're scary, you win!"

Saiki's fingers stopped in an instant, and then he was just hovering over her, his nose brushing hers as he grinned down at her. _Good. Maybe now you've learned your lesson._

" _I doubt it,"_ Teruhashi thought back at him, smiling despite still breathing heavily to try and dull the pain in her lungs. Saiki kissed her twice on her forehead and then moved off of her. She thought for a moment that he would just turn around and go back to watching his show, but then he pulled her. Rolling her over top of himself so that she laying at the edge of the bed, and then he wrapped his arm around her stomach. Spooning her in a way they could both clearly see the TV. " _I haven't finished packing."_

 _I don't care._ Saiki rested his chin on top of her head, _Do it later._ And then to sweeten the offer he managed to unfurl her comforter from underneath them, and tuck them in without moving at all.

Suddenly warm, and far too comfortable, Teruhashi snuggled back a little further into her boyfriend's arms. She could always pack in the morning. Besides, she was starting to get really invested in figuring out if Anastasia was going to have Paulo's or his twin brother Marco's baby.

—

The flight to Okinawa had been the easiest flight that Saiki had yet taken. Granted, he had only been on a plane three other times in his life. But each time he went on a school trip with his year two class there was problems. Last year in particular there had been several problems, including a flight cancelling storm, Kaido's air sickness, and a serious stomach issue with Takashi. He had been exhausted by the time they had actually arrived at the hotel in Okinawa, and had had an accident after falling asleep in a beach chair just outside of the hotel. Which had endangered his now girlfriend Teruhashi much worse than it had endangered the rest of the class.

So, you know, he was pretty determined not to let that happen again.

Teruhashi sat next to the window during the flight, and Kaido had sat in the aisle seat, leaving him with the middle. Kaido had actually remembered his sickness pills this time, and stayed pretty engaged in conversation with Nendou and Aren who were sat across the aisle from them. Chiyo and Auira whispered together the entire flight from the seats just behind Saiki, Teruhashi and Kaido.

He was lucky though, Teruhashi had brought a portable DVD player and the first season of The Dance of Life, which he hadn't seen. The flight itself wasn't very long, only a little over two hours, so they could only watch two and half episodes together. But with the crappy airplane headphones in his ears, The Dance of Life in his lap and Teruhashi's head on his shoulder, this was already the greatest school trip he had ever had.

"What was the weird show you were watching with Teruhashi on the flight, Saiki?" Kaido had followed his pink haired friend directly over to the luggage claim. The other six in their group hanging a bit behind at Matsuzaki explained the rules of the trip and the responsibilities of each group. Saiki had heard this speech three times before, so he had snuck away to grab his and Teruhashi's bags before the crowding of the class began. He wasn't really sure why Kaido had followed him. But it was probably best to ignore the shorter male.

Kaido was used to being ignored by his best friend however, so he just provided the conversation for the two of them, "It looked pretty romantic. I hope you're not letting Teruhashi make you soft." He laughed loudly, "You won't be able to fight properly if you get too soft. That's why the Jet Black Wing has sworn off love until Dark Reunion has been defeated."

Saiki grabbed his and Teruhashi's bags and turned to glance at his friend, _Better watch out Jet Black Wing, your girlfriend is coming._

Chiyo was very quick to grab onto Kaido's arm once she and the rest of the class had been cleared to get their luggage. Startled, Kaido went beat red, and Saiki was able to make his escape to Teruhashi, who was waiting for him at the meet up point for the class to gather on the bus.

"That speech gets more boring every time I hear it," She pouted, taking her bag from Saiki's grip, "Thanks for grabbing my bag."

 _Thank you for putting yourself through the embarrassment of actually buying the Dance of Life in a store._ He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes, taking his hand.

"I wore a disguise, obviously."

 _Of course._

—-

Once they were all packed into the bus, two to a seat, the class was getting a little over excited. Teruhashi took the aisle seat this time so she could lean over and talk with Mera and Nendou across the aisle. Plus she figured, her boyfriend would probably love the opportunity to just stare out the window at the beautiful view and ignore the conversations he had absolutely no interest in. Mera was very excited about the first day of the trip.

"This year we're going to go and pick strawberries and learn how to properly cut pineapples, plus we'll be touring the pineapple factory, the jarring and canning factory and we're doing the aquarium again this year too!" Mera pushed her glasses back up her nose and made a poor attempt at swallowing her drool. "I can't wait!"

Teruhashi frowned slightly, "You didn't actually eat any of the fish last year did you?"

"Oh no, but this year I have a better plan!" Mera winked at her blue haired friend. "Not only do we have bigger groups this year because of our larger class, which means the teachers will be more distracted, but now I know the layout of the aquarium pretty well. I really want to try some of the hammerhead shark."

Auira poked her head up from the seat behind Mera and Nendou, "Are you actually insane? You can't eat a hammerhead shark."

Chiyo poked her head up too, "Mera, you can't eat _anything_ at the aquarium. They might press charges."

"I ate a shark once," Nendou chimed in, turning from staring blankly out of his window, "It was red and green, and really chewy."

"How did it taste!?" Mera rounded on her seatmate, grabbing his shoulder and shaking slightly.

Nendou hummed to himself, scratching at his buttchin. "I guess it kind of tasted like fruit."

 _He's talking about gummies,_ Saiki's voice sighed in her mind. _He ate a pack of gummy sharks on the plane._

Teruhashi snorted, covering her mouth and nose with both hands to hide her laughter. Auira's eyes narrowed slightly, but she quickly turned back to Nendou and Mera, and ignored her rival. "Nendou, I don't think you ate a shark."

"What? Of course I did, I even still have some left." Nendou reached into his bag and pulled out a half eaten package of gummy sharks, grinning, "You want some?"

"YES!" Mera snatched the package out of his hands and hungrily started stuffing the fruit gummies into her mouth, devouring them in seconds.

Chiyo giggled, "Those aren't real sharks Nendou. Mera was talking about real sharks, that swim in water."

"Oh, yeah those don't swim too well," Nendou shrugged and then turned his attention back to the window. Auira and Chiyo glanced at each other and started laughing, sitting back properly in their seats where Teruhashi couldn't see them anymore.

She frowned, a little sad that Chiyo's attention was so taken up, and probably would be for the rest of the trip since Auira didn't really seem to like or hang out with anyone else than her in their group. Well, Teruhashi sat back properly in her own seat and looked over at her boyfriend. Chiyo and Saiki then.

Saiki moved his head slightly so he could glance at her, _You're thinking too much again. Come here and look at this view._ He lifted his arm for her and she smiled, feeling so much better in an instant, and slid over to watch the hills and the water of the island roll by.

—-

The first day of the trip always went by the quickest. It was mostly because they didn't really have that much time in Okinawa. The first day was a lot of travelling and very little sightseeing. They did stop at a famous temple, where they were forced to listen to Toritsuka go on and on about how his family's temple was better. He wasn't even part of their group, he just wandered around the entire temple making sure every group left with at least one new thing learned about his family's temple. Saiki got back onto his class's bus with just a little more hatred for the perverted medium.

After the temple they stopped at what could only be described as a trucker diner. It was the only place that had enough parking for the four bus' of students, and allowed the bus drivers to gas up while the students ate a quick lunch, and then filed back onto the bus' full and happy. Luckily there hadn't actually been any trucker's in the diner at the time, besides one rather hairy one at the counter. He had slept the entire hour that the students had been in the diner, and Saiki figured based off his exhaustion levels, he would probably be asleep at the counter for a lot longer after they left. He hoped the diner at least kept watch over the man's wallet.

Once they finally arrived at their hotel the kids had to be checked into their rooms. Eight boys to a room and eight girls to a room meant splitting up the groups for awhile as everyone received room keys and went their separate ways to unload their bags. Saiki was sharing a room with Nendou, Kaido, Aren, Takashi and his two little minions, and Metori.

Metori had been furious of course, "You seriously expect me to sleep on the floor with seven other people in the room with me!" He had barely held in his rich rage through the non-first class flight, and the bus ride, but now after being forced to eat dinner (which he had actually refused to eat because of the poor quality) at a diner, sleeping on the floor was the last straw. He whipped out a rather large wad of cash and stomped over to the reception desk, booking himself a room with a proper bed in their most expensive suite.

"There," he sauntered over to where Teruhashi and Saiki were standing, waiting patiently for Matsuzaki to bring them their room keys, or call their names. Metori ran a hand through his grey hair arrogantly and smiled at Teruhashi, "I just booked the most beautiful room in the hotel. So it would really only be fitting if the most beautiful girl joined me there."

Teruhashi shuddered slightly and huddled closer to Saiki, who would have said something to defend his girlfriend, if Metori hadn't propositioned her at the worst possible moment.

"METORI," Matsuzaki clapped a hand down on the rich snob's shoulder and glowered at him, "This trip has a very strict no girls allowed in boys rooms and vice versa. If I hear you talking like that again you WILL be sleeping on the floor in the room you had been originally assigned. Do I make myself clear?"

Metori didn't look as phased as a regular student might have been after being yelled at by the intimidating teacher in the red jumpsuit, but he definitely looked a little shaken as he stepped away from the older man. "Well, I won't be sleeping on the floor, so I guess no girls allowed, indeed." He glowered at Saiki's hand firmly pressed against Teruhashi's hip, keeping her safe against him and then turned and snapped his finger, "Peasant with the green hair. You and the other boys in our group are welcome to sleep on the floor of my suite, but you'll have to haul up my luggage for me. Chop, chop now."

And just like that Saiki's room of eight boys dwindled down to four as Takashi and his lackey's each grabbed their own bag, and one of Metori's suitcases, before clambering off into the elevator before the doors shut behind, their rich, "generous" leader.

Honestly it felt like a win for Saiki.

An hour and a half later when all of them had left their bags in their room, and changed into their school appropriate pajamas, the students all filed down to the hotel's restaurant for dinner. Matsuzaki gave them strict instructions that they had two hours to eat and mingle, then they were to head straight to either the baths or bed. With a lights out time of 10 p.m.

Saiki's group sat together, each choosing whether they wanted rice and pork, rice and chicken or rice and fish, (except for Mera who requested all three options and a side of ramen). The conversation was quick and excited, but Saiki kept to himself.

"Are you more excited for the strawberry picking or the aquarium tomorrow?"

"I think I'm more excited about the beach actually."

"I'm excited to shop. I need a new crystal ball."

"Do you think that guy finally got a real badger and snake yet?"

"Wait, Mera was able to order ramen? I want ramen! Partner, did you know we could order ramen?"

"Mmmmmmmpppppffff. *Schlurp* Mpf, mm."

"I just wanna see the bike shop's they have here. I doubt they'll be to my standards, but they'd be the most interesting to see besides the girls in their swimsuits- ow!"

His friends were regular in their annoying nature. It almost felt like Saiki had lived this exact scenario before. But as Teruhashi was talking to Chiyo about how amazing the beach had been the year before, she reached across the table and rested her hand casually on top of his own. He smiled softly at the gesture. Including him when he didn't even want to be included. He flipped his hand over to entwine their fingers. Inclusion with her didn't feel that bad.

He did notice Auira's words stutter when she noticed their hands. He noticed the turn in her tone, and the blank emptiness of her thoughts as her cheeks flushed red, and she forced her eyes back to Aren, who was asking her about how her fortune telling worked. He noticed, but thought nothing of it.

After all Saiki had no way of knowing that the new ring shining on Auira's finger was actually blocking his telepathy.


	16. The Sweetest Thing

Ch. 16 The Sweetest Thing

Teruhashi knew a lot about her boyfriend by this point. She had known him for almost four years, so a lot of little things she had picked up ages ago. Like how much Saiki loved Coffee Jelly, or how he seemed to prefer quiet and peaceful settings over spending time with a crowd of people. Of course she understood that last one even better now that she knew about his powers. After learning about those, and Saiki actually opening up to her from time to time about his childhood, his thoughts and opinions, she could confidently say that she knew him really well. Probably better than anyone else.

But it was the sweetest thing. He just kept doing things. Little things that would clink something together in her memory and make her think, oh. He's been this kind and caring even before I came along, hasn't he?

For example, she already knew that Saiki had a habit of humoring Kaido with all of his Dark Reunion stuff. But only when people were making fun of him or taking advantage of his gullibility, or god forbid threatening him. Saiki had already told her the story of the fortune teller that tried to rob poor Kaido blind, but Saiki had saved the day. Teruhashi thought that was just the sweetest thing, and she was seeing it again now. As they walked through the Strawberry fields with their baskets, trying to find the ripest fruit, she watched it all go down.

"No one will be able to pick more strawberries than me!" Kaido was running around the strawberry bushes, almost knocking other classmates out of the way as he tried to fill his basket as quickly as possible. He was panting heavily and had a manic look in his eye, but he sounded confident and happy as he shouted, "The Jet Black Wing's speed is unrivaled by no one!"

One of the girls in the row behind Teruhashi snickered, "Doesn't that technically mean it's rivaled by everyone?"

Her friend beside her snorted, "He's pathetic, I bet he picks all of the grossest strawberries."

"I hope he bites down into a worm."

"Oh my god, you're awful!"

"Kind of like the Jet Black Wing?" The two of them broke out into a fit of guffaws, and horribly, so did a lot of the rest of the class. Kaido, having not been that far (he really wasn't very fast...) had heard everything, and was no longer showing his face. He just walked to an area no students were currently picking and remained there, looking miserable.

Teruhashi was furious, but before she could even make a move to say something to the other girls she felt a strong breeze whiz by her. Confused she looked down at her basket that had been almost full only to see it was empty. But she had been picking strawberries for close to an hour.

"Huh? Where are all the strawberries? The bushes were full a second ago?"

"My basket isn't even half full, what the hell?"

"I swear I had a strawberry in my hand a second ago."

Teruhashi turned to look at Saiki who was stood behind her, looking very bored. He had had half of a basket of strawberries only a few seconds ago, but now he also had none. She grinned at him, " _Did the Jet Black Wing take your strawberries?"_

Saiki's eyes flicked over to meet her gaze, his lips twitching slightly, _Why yes, I believe he did._

"Woah! Look how much strawberries Kaido has!" Mera was drooling, her hands clamped firmly at her sides to resist rushing over and stealing her friends hard work.

Kaido glanced over at the sound of his name, his eyes immediately falling on the 20 full baskets of strawberries set around him. Hairo walked over and clapped a proud hand on his friend's back, "You worked so much harder and faster than all of us, that you picked the whole field! That's amazing Kaido! Do you think you would mind sharing some of your feast?"

"Uh," Kaido blinked in confusion several times before jumping to his feet and throwing his head back to laugh, "Of course. Despite the cruel words of the class, the Jet Black Wing has proven his worth, and would be glad to share with the rest of the class. Though," He glanced at the bare bushes with a blush, "I might have to give some back to the farmers for their jams."

Hairo laughed, and then the other boys in the class started laughing, and before you knew it the entire class was in a fit of giggles as they gathered around the massive amount of strawberries. In the end the farmer's had thanked Kaido for saving them hours of work and allowed him to keep one of the full baskets, which he shared with his group on the bus ride over to the pineapple factory. Kaido was overjoyed.

The pineapple canning factory was uneventful for the most part. There _was_ a moment where the students almost all got kicked out because Mera had managed to get her hands on no less than five full cans of pineapple, which she promptly devoured. But Matsuzaki had managed to smooth things over and they finished their tour quickly, before heading over to the aquarium.

Saiki left Teruhashi for a few minutes while she and Chiyo oohed and awed over the jellyfish exhibit. "The colors are so pretty!" Chiyo cooed, and Teruhashi agreed, amazed at the swirling pinks and blues that were lighting up the room. When Saiki returned he had brought with him a small stuffed hammerhead shark, a jellyfish keychain, and a kitkat bar.

He handed the keychain and the chocolate bar to her, but held onto the shark.

"Oh! It's so cute!" Teruhashi grinned down at the keychain before kissing her boyfriend quickly on the cheek, "And I'm also starving, so thank you for the chocolate."

 _You're welcome, I knew you'd like it,_ He tapped the side of his head and grinned when Teruhashi rolled her eyes at him.

"So you like sharks huh?" She asked, grabbing his free arm and following after the rest of the class.

Saiki shook his head, _Not really._

"So, why did you-"

"Hey guys," Mera slunked over to them, looking depressed. "Did you see any cool fish?"

"Hey Mera," Teruhashi smiled at her, "The jellyfish were pretty cool, and look at the cute keychain that Saiki-"

"That's cool," Mera interrupted her, "I really just came over to let you know that the plan is cancelled."

 _We were never going to do your plan._

"I know you guys were super supportive about my idea to try and eat a hammerhead shark, but apparently the sharks they had were transferred to a different aquarium, and all of the other tanks are secured really tight," Mera sighed, "I think I might just go get back on the bus and wait to go to lunch. There might even be some strawberries in there if I'm lucky."

The hungry girl waved and made a move to start walking away but Saiki held out the stuffed hammerhead shark, pushing it into her chest. Mera blinked at it, "For me?" Saiki nodded and a bright grin lit up Mera's face, "That's so sweet Saiki! Almost as good as getting to chow down on a real one!" She took the stuffed shark from his hands and squeezed it tight, "You're a good friend." And with that she darted off to find Chiyo and Auira and show them her new friend.

Teruhashi's heart felt really warm and full, "You are the sweetest man alive," She chuckled, squeezing his arm.

Saiki shrugged, _I knew the sharks weren't here, so I also knew that Mera would be upset. If I hadn't cheered her up she would have spent an hour alone on the bus and eaten the entire class' strawberries. I was just preventing disaster._

"You keep telling yourself that," Teruhashi laughed, finally ripping open her chocolate bar, "Do you want half?"

 _Yes._

If all that hadn't been enough, Saiki showed off his kindness again once the class had finally made it to the best part of the school trip. The Okinawa beaches.

Teruhashi was feeling pretty confident in her frilly blue bikini and purple flip flops. All the boys eyes were on her as she strutted over the sand, trying to find the best spot to set her bag down and relax. It was the kind of moment she used to cherish, and she still kind of did, just to a lesser extent. Her attention could only go so far, and with Saiki's hand in her own she was much more inclined to give it to him then the rest of the beach. Saiki wanted to go swimming, as did Nendou, Aren and Auira, but Teruhashi was pretty sure that Saiki did not want to go swimming with anyone else but her, to try and give himself a little peace and quiet.

 _Though that's true,_ Saiki's voice interrupted her thoughts, _I don't really think that's possible with all the stares you're getting._

" _Sorry,'_ Teruhashi smiled to herself, " _But that's a consequence of dating the prettiest girl in all the land."_ She set her bag down on the sand at last, finding the perfect spot and Saiki immediately whirled her around so he could kiss her forehead.

 _I guess I can deal with that,_ He smiled at her, _So you want to go swimming with the others?_ Nendou, Aren and Auira were already in the water, laughing and splashing around like crazy. Teruhashi bit her lip at the sight of Auira in her little red bikini, feeling suddenly insecure about her less than average chest. Saiki rolled his eyes, _You look very beautiful in your bathing suit, Teruhashi._

She beamed at him, "You're the sweetest," and kissed him quickly before Matsuzaki could see and get mad. "But no, I don't actually want to go swimming that much. I was thinking about sunbathing for a little bit, so why don't you take this opportunity to hide from all your friends that care about you, and have a nap, or a quiet thinking session, or whatever you want."

Saiki stared at her quietly for a moment and then hugged her tight, _Thank you._ Then he was gone. Probably down to the bottom of the ocean with creepy fish and forgotten treasures, where he wouldn't be able to hear the pestering thoughts of the rest of his class. Teruhashi was happy to see him go if it meant he was giving himself some time to recover, and was more than happy to stretch out on her towel with her sunglasses and a book, and just enjoy the warmth of the sun.

Chiyo layed out her towel next to her friend's, and a little further away from them, Kaido set up his own towel and an umbrella. The poor guy kept glancing longingly out at his other guy friends in the water, and then sigh and look down at his feet in the sand. It was painfully obvious that he wasn't able to swim. Teruhashi glanced up from her book and nudged Chiyo's side.

"Now's your chance, why don't you go talk to Kaido," She whispered nodding in the boys direction and giving her friend a thumbs up.

Chiyo went a little red and looked down at the yellow bikini she was wearing, "I don't know Kokomi. I think I put on a few pounds since last years trip, and it must be really noticeable since I'm wearing the same swimsuit. Plus he looks really busy right now anyway."

Teruhashi frowned, "You're usually way more confident than this Chiyo. Plus you look smoking hot in your bathing suit, trust me!"

"Not as hot as you, Mera, or Auira though," Chiyo mumbled, pulling her legs up to her chest, "Mera was already invited to play volleyball with a bunch of cute boys, and Nendou and Aren are all over Auira, look!"

Her friend was right. Mera was the only girl playing volleyball with seven of the local boys and Aren in particular was definitely focusing his splashing and water wrestling on the large breasted, scantily clad fortune teller. Teruhashi turned back to Chiyo, "I think you're way hotter than all three of us."

Chiyo snorted, "That's rich."

"Oh, hey Chiyo," Kaido had seemingly just noticed that the two girls from his group weren't far from his own spot, "I almost forgot." He pushed himself to his feet and walked over to them, digging in his trunks pocket for something. "I have something for you."

Chiyo looked frozen in shock, "F-for me?"

"Yeah, hold on," Kaido switched pockets and grinned, "Aha! Here you go," he pulled out a keychain of a half melting popsicle wearing sunglasses. "It's cute isn't it?"

"Yeah," Chiyo's face was getting red, "Thank you so much." She took the keychain and grinned at it happily. "Its kinda making me want a popsicle though. Do you want to come with me to get one Kaido?"

"Sure, that sounds awesome," Kaido grinned back at her, "Just let me grab my stuff."

"Don't bother Kaido," Teruhashi waved, "I'll watch your stuff."

"Thanks, Teruhashi," He saluted her before Chiyo took his arm, making his face turn bright red and the two of them headed off towards the popsicle stand at the top of the beach. It was almost like the start of something beautiful, because when they returned, happily discussing a comic they both liked in Shonen Jump, Chiyo sat with Kaido under his umbrella and the two remained together for the rest of the time at the beach. Chiyo was particularly good company for Kaido, since he couldn't swim, and she was overjoyed that he was letting her hold onto his arm as they talked.

A few hours later Saiki had surfaced from the bottom of the ocean and came to join her in the sun. She had finished half of her book, and was getting really into it when her boyfriend plopped down on the sand, startling her. "Hey!" She yelped, "Don't do that, you'll give me a heart attack."

Saiki reached up and clicked something on the side of his glasses, then trailed his gaze over her slowly before clicking the same thing again. _You're fine._

Teruhashi felt very warm all of a sudden, "Did you just..."

Saiki's eyes widened and he shook his head quickly, _No, I swear I didn't just stare at you naked. I focused really hard to skip that part and just check out your internal organs._

"Right," She cleared her throat, and squirmed a little. "So Kaido bought Chiyo a keychain, do you think that means he's finally coming around?"

Relieved at the change of subject Saiki shrugged, _I had to boost his confidence a little bit just so he would buy her the keychain, but maybe in a year._

"Wait," Teruhashi started to laugh, "So that was you too? You seem really invested in making this a good trip for all of our friends."

He reached over and took her hand, _I'm more invested in making sure its a good trip for you, and I knew you would be happy if all your friends were happy._

"Excuses, excuses," She clicked her tongue at him, "But thank you."

 _You're welcome,_ He kissed the back of her hand and then shifted so he could lay flat on his back in the sand.

Teruhashi stared at him for a moment, not caring that he knew she was or could read exactly what she was thinking. Her feelings were getting stronger by the day, and just knowing that this man was probably the most selfless, caring, and amazing man she had ever met, was doing all sorts of crazy things to her. Clearing her throat, Teruhashi shoved her book back into her bag and got to her feet. "I think I'm finally gonna go swimming so I can cool off."

Saiki squinted up at her through the sunlight, _Do you want me to come with you?_

"Only if you want to," She smiled warmly at him and then smirked, "Also, if you can catch me." She bolted towards the water, unsurprised seconds later when Saiki's arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her into the air. She squealed, but fighting it was useless, Saiki tossed her into the ocean, and she resurfaced gasping and laughing, with him beside her. "You cheated."

 _It's not cheating,_ Saiki grinned at her, water dripping frown his hair into his eyes, still behind his glasses. _I'm just really, really fast._

And strong, and kind, and thoughtful, and smart. Her heart skipped a beat. "I know."


	17. Heating Up

Ch. 17 Heating Up

Returning back to the hotel that evening was such a relief. The beach had been very crowded, so every second spent off of the ocean floor was a headache for Saiki. Though he would relent, and admit that once Teruhashi had finally felt like going to swim for a bit he had enjoyed play wrestling with her in the water. Away from all the other swimmers though. When she went and swam with Mera and Nendou he hung back with Auira on the towels, calmly listening to her talk about some training thing she had started with Toritsuka.

"I mean we're obviously not nearly as strong as you are Saiki," She had laughed a bit, wringing salt water from her hair as she talked, "But the P.K Trio will be stronger than it's ever been before if something were to happen that you need us."

 _I really don't think I will be needing the two of you,_ Saiki didn't glance up from Teruhashi's book so he missed the hurt look that passed over her eyes. _If anything world ending were to occur you would probably just end up getting hurt._

"Well that's why we're training," Auira grumbled, crossing her arms with a huff. She didn't say anything for awhile after that, but after a little over ten minutes Aren called her back to the water and she left him there. But that was fine with him. Teruhashi had been right, this book was interesting.

Even though the hotel was filled with all of the second year students at PK Academy, plus a few of the teachers, the hotel staff, and one or two vacationers, it still had less people than the beach. For Saiki it was like walking from a concert into a poetry reading. There was still a guy with a microphone, but at least the audience wasn't screaming.

His group sat together for dinner again. All of them tinged a little pink from the sun, and ravenous from the fun they had had. Kaido entertained them with explaining just exactly how fast he actually was, and they polished off the last of his strawberries for desert.

"Ok, well," Chiyo pushed her chair back and stretched her arms over her head, "That was delicious. But I think it's time for us girls to go and take a bath. What do you say ladies?"

"Oh, I would kill for a bath right now," Teruhashi agreed, "Let's go now so we can get the whole place to ourselves."

"Mera's not done eating," Auira pointed at the last girl of their group who was still ferociously shoving strawberries into her mouth.

"There's only two strawberries left so," Aren smirked a little in amusement, "She's done now. Take her away before she starts licking the basket."

"Kay!" The three other girls giggled together and wrenched Mera out of her seat, dragging the girl quickly from the room so her shouts of "I'm still hungry!" didn't upset too many others on the way.

"Do you think we should go and have a bath too?" Nendou asked.

"Yeah, we should try and get there before the rest of the class, just like the girls said," Kaido nodded, "Then we'll have plenty of time to play Uno before bed."

 _I don't like Uno._

Saiki was ignored as Aren chimed in, "Do you think the girls would want to come and play Uno with us in our room?" His mind was a filthy mess of Auira and Teruhashi in their bikinis. Saiki tried not to get too annoyed.

 _There's no point going to take a bath now, look,_ He nodded towards the door that led from the hotel restaurant back to the rooms. There was already a line of guys exiting. They had figured out quickly that Teruhashi had left them, and many of them were secretly hoping to catch her scantily clad in a towel, or get a glimpse of her from the other side of the baths wall. Ok, he was getting really annoyed, but at least he knew they weren't really gonna have a chance. Matsuzaki headed off towards the baths ten minutes ago.

"Come on Saiki, let's go take a bath," Aren slapped his shoulder and stood up, closely followed by Kaido and Nendou.

"Yeah partner, hurry up or we'll dunk you under the water," Nendou laughed, and Saiki sighed.

 _You'd think you couldn't even hear me._

Teruhashi sighed in content as she slipped into the hot waters of the women's bath house. "This feels amazing," She sunk down so the water covered all the way up to her shoulders and found a spot against the rocks between Chiyo and Mera to relax.

"It does feel amazing," Mera agreed, slowly rubbing at her arms, "Especially after the beach. I feel like I got sand everywhere."

"You do have sand everywhere," Chiyo giggled and brushed some sand out of her friend's hair. "Did you faceplant in the sand?"

"Maybe a couple times during volleyball," Mera shrugged and the three girls laughed together.

Auira, sat across the water from them, rolled her eyes, "Is this what girls do in hot springs? Giggle about sand and beaches?"

Teruhashi frowned at her, "What do you suggest we talk about then?"

It was like she was waiting for that question, because once it was out there Auira grinned devilishly. "I could read your fortunes."

"Oh! Yes, yes, yes," Chiyo clapped her hands, "It's been so long since you've read mine!"

"The last time you read mine you were able to find my dad for me," Mera smiled at the memory, "I don't really know if there's anything else I want to know."

"That's ok, I was thinking that maybe I could read Teruhashi's," Auira started to scrape dirt off of the rocks behind her, "Since I've never read hers before."

"Oh, I don't really think there is anything that I want to know either-" Teruhashi started but Chiyo cut her off.

"No, you have to Kokomi! She could tell you if you're gonna marry Saiki, or win a million dollars! It's the coolest thing!" The girl was so excited she was bouncing, causing little waves to ripple through the water. "Please?"

Something didn't really feel right, but Teruhashi shrugged, "I guess there's really no harm. What the heck," She forced a smile and waded a little closer to Auira, "What do I do?"

"Nothing," Auira tossed the dirt into the water, drawing a circle around Teruhashi, "Just don't move."

Teruhashi felt really self conscious, but she remained still. Following Auira with her eyes as the other girl began walking around her in slow circles, whispering words she couldn't understand under her breath. Finally after about five minutes the dirt that had been floating so clearly in a tight circle around Teruhashi, melted away into the water and Auira sat back with a furrowed brow.

"Well, your compatibility rating with Saiki is really low," She began and Teruhashi felt a prick of annoyance. Of course this didn't feel right, how was she supposed to trust a fortune teller that was in love with her boyfriend? "But you have a bright future ahead of you. A teaching career? Didn't really pin you for the smart type."

"Ok," Teruhashi bristled, "You really don't have to insult me." Teaching? That wasn't really something she had considered for herself either, but maybe it was something she would be good at. She made a mental note to think harder about it when she went back home.

"Sorry," Auira didn't look sorry at all, in fact she was smirking at her, "Your students really like you, probably because of your looks, and you're happy. But based off the compatibility score with your current lover, I doubt your happy with him. Or maybe he's unhappy with you?" She shrugged and started picking at her nails. "But that's just what the spirits say. Don't shoot the messenger."

Feeling cold Teruhashi slunk back towards her seat, "Well, it's a pretty cruddy message." She mumbled, not meeting Chiyo's eyes when the other girl started rubbing her shoulder.

"It's not the end of the world Teruhashi," She whispered, reassuringly, "She said you were happy, so that's good."

"Hmm," Teruhashi stared hard at Auira, and Auira smiled wolfishly back.

Something was wrong.

They had finally managed to get into the boy's baths. It had been an hour wait in a line that Saiki had warned them several times would be there, but once the four of them and three others from class four had finally stripped and waded into the relaxing water, Saiki could sense that something wasn't right. He wasn't fully sure what it was, Teruhashi, Mera, Chiyo, and Auira had all already left to head back towards their room at this point. But there was just a feeling in his gut. Something was different than how it had been just an hour before.

Once they had all relaxed in the water and rinsed themselves of all the sand still clung to their bodies, the boys headed back towards their room. That was when all the weird looks started happening.

Students from his own class three as well as others he neither knew nor cared about kept staring at him funny. Thank god he was a telepath otherwise figuring out what those looks were for might have taken him hours.

" _I heard Teruhashi broke up with him. Poor sucker."_ _"Poor Saiki, he looks so heart broken."_ _"Their compatibility rating was really low."_ _"I knew that relationship was never going to last."_

He pieced together the answer pretty quickly. Auira had read Teruhashi's fortune and either lied, or told the truth about their compatibility as a couple. He doubted his self proclaimed "soulmate" would tell Teruhashi if the two of them had an amazing compatibility score, so he was leaning towards the first option. Not that it really mattered because either way Teruhashi was probably either freaking out, or at least mildly upset. So he figured it was probably in his best interest to go and find her.

"Hey, should we stop by the girls room now and ask them if they want to play Uno before lights out?" Kaido asked, offering the perfect opportunity.

 _Yes_ , Saiki didn't care about Uno, but he lead the way to the girl's room all the same.

"Yo! Ladies of room 235," Aren knocked on the door sharply, "You wanna play Uno?"

The door cracked open and Chiyo poked her head out, "Uno? You guys brought cards?"

"Well yeah, what else are we supposed to do in our downtime," Aren chuckled, "We just got out of the baths though, so if you wanna play the cards are back in our room."

"Do you guys wanna play?" Chiyo swung the door open wider, revealing the room to them and the other three girls, who were dressed in their pajamas and drying their hair.

"Sure, that sounds fun," Mera smiled, and Auira shrugged, getting to her feet in a why not sort of gesture. Teruhashi bit the inside of her cheek, frowning slightly.

"I dunno, I was thinking about going for a quick walk for some fresh air," She glanced at Saiki. That was his que wasn't it?

 _I'll join you,_ He smiled at her, but she didn't return it like she normally did. Auira looked smug.

"Alright, well let's leave the lovebirds alone and go play Uno!" Nendou cheered loudly and started to lead the way back to their room. "See you later Partner!"

"Don't let Matsuzaki catch you all alone Saiki," Kaido whispered grimly, "You don't want to get in trouble or anything."

"Yeah, try and be back before lights out," Aren winked at him, and then the two, along with Chiyo, Mera and Auira followed Nendou down the hallway, rounding the corner and disappearing out of sight.

Teruhashi stood and grabbed Saiki's wrist, dragging him into the now empty room and locking the door behind him. He raised an eyebrow at her, _What about your other four roommates?_

She shrugged, "They're bathing, they probably won't be back for awhile." She walked back over to her bedroll and sat on it, eyeing him carefully. "You probably already know what happened huh?"

 _Most of it,_ Saiki sat on Chiyo's bedroll, _But I don't know what she told you._

Surprisingly, Teruhashi smiled, "She told me I was going to be a teacher someday and that my students really liked me."

 _Well, that's a good thing,_ He could picture it. Teruhashi behind a podium, reading from a literature book, all the boys would end up with fantastic grades, he was sure of it. _So what did she say about us that upset you?_

"She didn't upset me," Teruhashi sighed and scratched at a spot on her ankle, "I have a feeling that she's lying, but even if she is lying I don't think it really matters. People can be horribly compatible and still fall madly in love."

The last word through him for a loop, _I... That's true._ He swallowed hard, _Based off of what I have heard and seen, yeah_.

Teruhashi looked amused at his discomfort, "What's bothering me is that now that she said we're incompatible, Chiyo and Mera keep looking at me like we've broken up and I'm heartbroken. Or that we're doomed or something. It's really annoying."

 _Oh_. Saiki smirked a little, _I could distract you._

"Could you?" Teruhashi smirked back, "And how would you do that?"

Twenty minutes later they had gone farther than they had ever gone before. Saiki's lips were trailing hot rows of fire up and down Teruhashi's neck, and she was making these delightful little mewling sounds that was starting to drive him a little crazy, His skin was feeling very warm, so it was a good thing that his shirt had been discarded roughly ten minutes ago, as had Teruhashi's shorts. The smooth skin of her legs rubbed against his own bare ones as she squirmed under him, and he snuck a hand under her shirt. Grazing her stomach with his fingertips before cupping a breast through her bra, feeling the lace with a groan against her neck that caused goosebumps to raise on her arms.

"Oh, Saiki," Teruhashi pushed against him, slightly out of breath, "Saiki wait."

 _Hm?_ It was difficult to move his head away from her skin but he managed, meeting her eyes. _You wanna stop?_

"I mean, don't get me wrong," Teruhashi breathed a little unsteadily, "I don't really want too, but the other girls could be back any minute and I think we probably should."

 _Screw them_ , Saiki lowered his head to kiss her passionately, _The door is locked_.

Teruhashi allowed the kiss to happen for a few satisfying seconds, running her fingers through Saiki's hair, massaging his scalp. He particularly liked it when she rubbed near his antenna for currently unknown reasons, so she rubbed there gently. Smiling against his lips when she felt him relax on top of her. "Ok," She pulled away again, "I think you need to go back to your room. You used your powers a lot today to help people, you must be tired."

 _I didn't use them that much,_ Saiki sighed and rolled off of her, watching as she got up and wandered over to the other side of the room where her shorts had been thrown. This was a much better angle to appreciate the red panties that was hugging her skin in just the right way. _One of my "acts of kindness" was just me purchasing something._

"Sure, but you definitely used your powers to help out Kaido earlier this morning, and you've been in big crowds all day," She threw his shirt at him, snorting when it hit him square in the face. "Either I really had you worked up, or you're more tired than I thought."

Saiki glared at her before he sat up to pull his shirt over his head, _I guess I am a little tired. But only because of the crowds. This isn't nearly as bad as last year's school trip._

"Well that's good because I don't want to be mauled by a bear this year," Teruhashi unlocked the door to her hotel room and then plopped down in her boyfriend's lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "You wanna make out until we get interrupted?"

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Saiki buried his face into her neck, sighing in content. _I'll pass. My heart is still racing._

"You flatter me," Teruhashi laughed and started to rub and massage his scalp again, "But mine is too."

Auira debated on whether or not she should open the door. She had been sitting outside of it for what felt like forever, having ditched the Uno game with the excuse of being much more tired than she had actually thought she was. Aren had looked particularly upset to see her go, but what did she care? He wasn't her soul mate. Her soul mate was behind this door, canoodling with the enemy.

Quietly, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked over her instructions again. Now wasn't a good time to give herself away, and she doubted Saiki was actually tired enough to not catch on to the fact that he couldn't hear her thoughts. She tapped her finger against the side of her phone, clicking the ring against it. It blended in so well with all of her other jewelry, sometimes she wondered how he had made one so perfect for her so quickly. Nobody, not even Chiyo had noticed the new addition.

She could hear movement on the other side of the door again. Panicking slightly, she shoved her phone back into her pocket and rolled so she was on all fours. Then she crawled away as fast as she could while still being as silent as possible. She just barely managed to get around the corner at the end of the hallway before the door opened and Saiki walked out. Teruhashi kissed him like those girls do in movies after their lover for the night leaves their apartment, and Auira rolled her eyes.

The two of them disgusted her.

Saiki kissed her back of course and then Teruhashi was closing the door and Saiki was heading back to his room. Auira watched as he headed the opposite way from her, disappearing further into the hotel. The four other, not important, girls that were supposed to be rooming with them shouldn't be able to escape the baths they were locked in. The timing was perfect.

Smiling wickedly Auira pulled her phone back out and sent a text to S.K before walking over and entering her room. She made sure to lock the door behind her.


	18. Kusuke Returns

Ch. 18 Kusuke Returns

Somehow, Saiki felt like he had been sleeping for days when he woke up the next morning. An alarm was blaring from somewhere on the other side of the room, and bright unrelenting sunlight was shining through the window, directly into his eyes. It immediately made him want to roll over and just go back to sleep. But first, he had to find the source of the noise that was waking him up to begin with.

Prying his eyes open, Saiki took a good look around the room. The first thing he noticed was that he was alone. Aren, Kaido and Nendou must have all headed down for breakfast, somehow, without waking him up. That was weird, but maybe he really had been more tired than he thought the night before, so it was plausible. The next thing he noticed was that the noise was coming from Nendou's bag. A sharp little ringing sound that shouted out three times, then got quiet before going off again.

He debated on just setting the whole bag on fire to stop the annoying sound, but thinking better of it, Saiki crawled out from under the covers and went to grab the bag. Finding the problem wasn't difficult at all, just one quick unzip and there it was. A watch alarm. A little shaken that Nendou even knew how to tell time, Saiki pressed down the button to shut the alarm off.

And then he noticed the time.

1 o'clock.

He blinked stupidly at the watch and then turned to look at the window. Sunlight was definitely shining through. Had he had another accident when he was sleeping in Okinawa? Dropping the watch back into the bag, Saiki reached up and felt around his head for his antenna. They were still there, pressed firmly into his skull. So what was going on?

The only thoughts he was picking up around him seemed to be staff members of the hotel. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't pick up any of his teacher's or classmates. Saiki rushed to the window and pulled back the curtain fully to look outside. But still, everything was normal. The hotel was still exactly where it had been the night before, and he was still looking out at the parking lot (they had been unlucky with the view lot). The buses the students were traveling around Okinawa in, however, were not in the parking lot. They must have already left, taking the students into the city for their last few hours of shopping and exploration before the flight home that evening.

 _I... missed the bus,_ his brain reeled a bit with how weird that sounded. _Somehow I, an ESP user, overslept and missed the bus?_

He dressed quickly. Finding his cell phone in his school pants. His phone was blowing up with text messages, though that really wasn't surprising. The most recent ones were all from Kaido, wondering where he was, if he had gotten on the wrong bus, or ditched them again like last year, and asking if he wanted to meet up with them again at the same cafe as last year. The answer to that last one was a resounding yes, Saiki definitely wanted more of that Cafe's world famous Coffee Jelly parfait. His mouth was already watering.

Besides Kaido's messages the only other text that interested him was from Teruhashi.

 _ **Hey sleepyhead, Kaido said you were sleeping like the dead when they woke up. I managed to convince Matsuzaki that you were on the bus and he just kept missing you (don't know how I did it) so you can sleep all morning if you want! I figured you would just teleport into the city at your own leisure 3**_

It was the first time she had ever sent him a heart through text, as weird as that sounded. But after their intimacy the night before, he figured she was probably still in a really good mood. Letting him sleep in was in fact very sweet of her, and the smile that lit up his face at her words reminded him that he in fact was also still in a very good mood. Saiki opened the hotel window and climbed up on the ledge. He checked to make sure no one was watching and then pushed off with his legs, sending himself up into the air as if he was flying. In reality it was just one huge jump, but it certainly felt like flying as the wind rippled through his hair and pulled at his skin.

Unfortunately he over shot a bit, and landed a good ten minute walk past the city. He had been hoping to land on the roof of a shop and hop into an alley.

 _I guess I need to work on my strength again,_ Saiki frowned, reaching up and prodding at his antenna again to make sure they were in place properly. It was very rare that he messed things like this up, but again it was plausible. So after he made sure the antenna were tight (they were) he headed off, walking casually into the city to find his friends.

It was 2pm. Saiki had been in the city for close to 45 minutes, he had found Kaido and Aren admiring bike parts at the local shop. They called him over and he spent a short amount of time listening to them oh and aw over the thought of getting together to ride over the summer. When he asked them if they had seen Teruhashi they responded she was hanging out with the girls, and they didn't know where they had headed off too.

It was 3pm. Saiki, Kaido and Aren had come across Nendou. Apparently he had spent most of his day in the mall. He was carrying several bags, and informed them he really liked Okinawa, because the store owners were so nice, they kept giving him things for free. Saiki didn't bother explaining to him that he was just too stupid to understand Buy One Get One deals, and that the shop owners either gave up, or began to fear for their safety. He did ask Nendou if he had seen Teruhashi. Nendou hadn't.

It was 4pm. Teruhashi wasn't responding to Saiki's texts and he still hadn't picked up on her thoughts. Auira and Mera were found in the food court of the shopping district shortly after finding Nendou. Auira had a new crystal ball set up and was charging locals to have their fortunes read. Luckily for the food court workers, the money she was making was helping to fund the insane amount of food Mera was going through. Saiki asked Mera if she had seen Teruhashi, since Auira was busy talking to someone else, but Mera hadn't seen her. She assumed the perfect girl was with Chiyo, and Chiyo would probably be somewhere there was lots of boys.

It was 5pm. Teruhashi still hadn't responded to any of Saiki's texts. He had been hoping she would walk through the door with Chiyo when they all met up at the Cafe as the last thing they would be able to do for the day before heading back to the hotel, and then heading to the airport. But she didn't. Chiyo came running through the door, shopping bags clutched in both of her hands, smiling excitedly and all alone. Saiki asked her where Teruhashi was, but Chiyo hadn't seen her since they all got off the bus in the city.

Saiki didn't stay at the cafe for the Coffee Jelly.

"We're going to miss the plane Saiki!" Toritsuka was whining as his pink haired friend dragged him through the darkened streets of the city, Auira following casually behind them. "This seems like a really stupid time to need the P.K trio, Teruhashi is probably back at the hotel."

 _She's not at the hotel, I checked,_ Saiki's voice was calm, but tense, like it might snap at any second. _I can teleport all three of us onto the plane later, or I can teleport us right to the school if I wanted. Now shut up and help._

"Have you ever considered she's just avoiding you?" Auira sounded bored as she picked at her nails, still trailing a bit behind the other two. "I did read her a pretty depressing fortune last night."

 _We worked that out,_ Saiki rolled his eyes. He should have known that these two were going to be just as much of an annoyance as they would be an assistance. _Something is wrong._

"Hold on a second," Toritsuka dug his heels into the ground, though that did nothing to stop Saiki from dragging him forward, "Saiki, seriously stop, there's a ghost there I want to talk to. They might have seen her."

Saiki dropped his hold on the medium's wrist and the three of them stopped, lit up only by the glow of the streetlights in the otherwise dead city. Toritsuka marched over to the opposite side of the street where an old woman was peeping through into someone's apartment. "Excuse me?"

The old woman turned around to look at her addressee, and tilted her head. Her ghostly body shimmered a bit in the moonlight, but she smiled in a friendly way, "You can see me, child?"

"Yes I can," Toritsuka puffed up his chest in pride, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, of course, anything my dear," The woman reached out to pat him on the shoulder but her icy fingers just passed through his flesh. She sighed, "I guess that still happens."

"Yeah," He frowned, "You must have died really recently huh?"

"Oh yes," The woman pointed to the apartment behind her, "My body is actually still on the couch. I'm a little nervous that my cats will try and eat me once their food dish is empty and I don't want them to get sick. I estimate they have a bout another day before their food runs out."

"I'm so sorry," Toritsuka made a mental note to inform someone in the city so the body could be moved and properly buried and mourned. "Listen ma'am, my friend has gone missing. She would be about my age, insanely pretty with blue eyes and blue hair. Have you seen her around the city in the past day?"

The old woman clicked her tongue and stroked her chin, "Blue hair... blue hair. Yes, I think I might have seen a young lady today with blue hair. She was walking around town with a handsome young man. Tall and blond. They were a very cute couple. He bought her roses from that stand over there." She pointed down the street towards a flower shop. "So romantic."

Toritsuka frowned, "Are you sure?"

"I'm quite certain young man," The woman chuckled, "I might be dead but my memory is good, and that lady sounds just like the one you described. I remember all the other boys on the road were throwing themselves at her too, but she was too focused on her handsome friend."

"Well, that definitely sounds like her," Toritsuka coughed awkwardly, "Ok, I'll head over there I guess. I'll also let someone know about your body."

"Oh thank you, what a sweet boy," The woman attempted to kiss his cheek but again her lips just passed through his living flesh. "My sweet cats will be saved, I must go tell them." And then she turned and drifted through the wall and into her apartment.

Suddenly Saiki was right behind him. Toritsuka turned and grinned awkwardly at his friend, "How much did you hear?"

 _All of it through your head,_ Saiki looked furious, but before Toritsuka could comfort him, the leader of their psychic trio whirled around and looked at Auira. _Can you find him?_

Auira didn't answer Saiki, as she was already sat on the ground in the middle of the street with her crystal ball, muttering to herself. Toritsuka cleared his throat, "Find who?"

 _My brother._

Twenty minutes later the three of them were standing outside of a warehouse in the industrial part of the city. It looked abandoned, and dirty and the doors were chained shut, but that didn't stop Saiki from ripping them open with his bare hands. He still had yet to calm down, and he was pretty sure he was seeing red as the cold metal snapped to pieces in his grip and he kicked the door in.

The place was empty, and incredibly dangerous.

 _Toritsuka, Auira, my brother wears a device that blocks my telepathy. I can't call out to him, and I can't sense him. Be very careful._ Saiki took in his surroundings. There were a lot of crates and pallets left over from when the warehouse was actually used, and worse still he could see some tools and equipment lined against the walls. Any kind of electrical device was bad around his brother, so he kept his distance from that wall. Instead keeping to the middle of the room, where there was the most open space and the least chance of his brother right around the corner.

Toritsuka, cowardly as ever, slowly crept his way towards the least likely place in the room a kidnapper was hiding in. The empty wall with only a single crate propped up in the corner. Auira hung close, just a few feet, behind Saiki.

"Kusuke!" She shouted, her voice echoing in the building, "Come out and show yourself!"

There was a sound. An electric whirring close to Saiki's head. He whipped around, prepared to fight his brother, but instead of seeing his familiar face, he just felt pain. Sudden, fast and intense pain shot through his skull and brought Saiki to his knees with an audible shout. The antenna! His antenna were sending waves upon waves of electric shocks straight to his brain, and scrambling his thoughts. He wanted to teleport them away, or melt them into nothing, but his powers were all out of whack. He didn't even think he could use basic telepathy with the pain shooting through him. His vision was going dark.

He could hear laughter though. His brother's laughter and Toritsuka's worried shouts. He reached up, his arm shaking from the pain, and attempted to remove one of the antenna. But instead he felt cold metal click around his wrist, and then someone behind him was pulling his arm behind his back, and handcuffing him. Unable to stop the shocks, Saiki screamed out one last frustrated cry of pain, and then he slumped. His face pressing against the cool concrete floor of the warehouse, and his body shaking. He passed out.

Auira was panting. Her cheeks red and her eyes wide as she stared at Saiki, passed out cold on the ground before her. Her own hand was shaking slightly, it still felt static. As if the electricity that had been coursing through Saiki had transferred to her when she had handcuffed him. She clenched her fingers into a fist.

"Auira..." Toritsuka was pressed against the wall, close to the one crate propped against it. His jaw was dropped, "Auira what have you done?"

"She did what she had to do for her destiny," A voice spoke from the doorway of the warehouse. A man stood there, tall and blond with a weird looking horn protruding from the top of his forehead. He was wearing black, cult like robes, and smiling like he was actually the friendliest person in the world, but something about him felt off. Toritsuka felt sick. "And she did wonderfully."

Auira turned to look at S.K, smiling despite the horrible feeling in her gut. "What now?"

"I have a place to put him," Kusuke walked over to his unconscious brother and began to strap him into a jet pack. "I'm gonna fly him there to begin the trials with this remote controlled jet pack. The two of you should probably head back to your class before they leave without you."

"S-screw you, you bastard!" Toritsuka clenched his fists and took a brave step forward, "I'm not going to let you do anything to Saiki!" He began to look around the room desperately, his eyes lighting up when he found something that neither Auira or Kusuke could see. "Hey you! You look strong, please possess me and help me fight against this man... What do you mean what's in it for you? What do you want?... THAT'S DISGUSTING."

Auira glanced over at Kusuke, who had already finished strapping Saiki into the jet pack. "Are you prepared to fight a possessed teenager? You don't look all that strong."

Kusuke shrugged, humming happily to himself as he double checked that his power cancelling antenna were still securely in place. "Doesn't really matter." He clicked a button on his remote, and then Saiki was hovering in the air, his limbs limp and dead weight as the streams of fire and steam behind him lifted him. "Because he's already too late."

Auira felt a small foreboding pang in her chest as she watched the jet pack whiz by and out the warehouse door, carrying her beloved Saiki away from her. "Where are you going with him?"

"It's not really any of your business," Kusuke began to fiddle with the straps on his own jet pack, and in the background Toritsuka continued to argue with his ghost ally.

"What if you possess me for a whole day a week from now and eat whatever delicious food you want?... Listen bud, I'm trying to save my mentor here! It's not the time to argue about male strip clubs!"

Weirdly curious, but too distracted by something much more important, Auira pressed Kusuke harder. "It is my business! You agreed if I helped you get the two of them then you would have your fun with some weird brotherly trials thing that Saiki will probably win, and then you'd make him realize he was meant to be with me! So, I need you," She pointed a perfectly manicured nail towards his chest angrily, "To tell me where you're taking them so that I know where to meet you and pick Saiki up. Teruhashi too, I'll need to take her home."

Kusuke's eyes trailed down to her finger at his chest and then back up to her own, baring his teeth in a slow sinister smile, that completely changed his face. He looked darker now. More dangerous. He reached up and pushed her hand away, "It's funny... fortune teller's are usually good at tricking other people. This must be the first time that I've seen one get tricked."

The pang was stronger now, foreboding and panic mixed together, "W-what?"

"You don't have to pick either of them up, Auira," Kusuke's jet pack turned on, lifting him a foot into the air, and scorching the ground beneath him in a way that caused dust to fly up into the air, and into her eyes. "I'll drop the two of them off to you in a plastic bag."

"NO!" Auira screeched, reaching forward with one hand to try and grab the cloak of her so called partner in crime, while she tried to wipe the dust from her eyes with the other. "Kusuke, please don't!"

And the next thing she knew Kusuke had flown straight up into the air, and Toritsuka's kick from behind was landing squarely on her nose. She fell backwards, blood spurting into the air and onto her school uniform, and when her head hit the ground her vision went black.


	19. The Perfect Damsel

Ch. 19 The Perfect Damsel

What felt like ages later, Saiki finally opened his eyes.

His entire body hurt like hell, and he felt like he wanted to throw up, but he was alive. So that was a good thing, he supposed. He opened his eyes slowly, trying to appear asleep just long enough to get a clear look at his surroundings. He estimated that roughly an hour or two ago he had awoken and tried to use his x ray vision to see past his eyelids, but any attempt at using a power sent waves of shocks through his body once again. He was a helpless human currently, so he was going to have to act like it.

He wasn't sure if that fully made sense, but hey, his brother was a genius. So really who was he to argue that he was capable of some weird and unbelievable things.

Through the tiniest cracks in his eyelids, Saiki made out that he was in a cage. Not even a fancy, high tech, esp user catching cage. Just a regular cage, with iron bars that were starting to look a little rusty, though still strong. It was almost offensive, but then he realized that his wrists were chained to the bars behind him, and if he attempted to move them to his head and remove the device that was keeping him so helpless Kusuke would hear him. And Kusuke would probably just click a button and listen to his screams for the fun of it.

Yes, Kusuke was in the room. Wherever they were, it wasn't a very big room. Just a dark room with a psychic in a cage and a mad scientist twirling in circles on a computer chair in front of four huge monitors that were emitting the only light. Kusuke was probably starting to get bored if he was acting this childish, Saiki wondered how long he had been out.

Taking his chances, Saiki opened his eyes a little further and tried to get a good look at the computer monitors in front of him. They all showed the camera image of the same thing.

Teruhashi.

Teruhashi strapped down to train tracks like they were suddenly in some 1930's western. She was blindfolded, and visibly shaking, and from the looks of it Kusuke had actually stuffed her into a big puffy 19th century dress. She was the perfect damsel in distress, and it was him that had brought her into this.

Anger and shame were emotions he wasn't used to experiencing at the same time, but they were weighing him down now.

"Oh! You're awake!" Kusuke's computer chair crashed to the floor as the older man rushed to the cage, gripping the bars and grinning at his brother like a psychopath, "It took you forever! I was getting so bored waiting to play our game."

Saiki blinked at him, not stupid enough to try and use his telepathy.

Kusuke's grin got smug, "What you're not gonna talk to your big brother? Even after all the gifts I bestowed upon you this year? You never would have started dating Teruhashi if it wasn't for me you know. Don't you want to thank me for that?"

Saiki glared.

"I said," Kusuke pointed a remote control at the monitor behind him, "Say thank you." He pushed a large red button near the top and Saiki watched, horrified as Teruhashi started thrashing against the train tracks, clearly in pain.

Thank you, Kusuke! Thank you! The aftershocks from his fake antenna were still hurting his brain, but he grit his teeth and fought through it, Thank you, now stop!

"Ah, ah, ah Saiki," Kusuke tapped the horn attached to his skull, "I can't hear you. What are you trying to say?"

Saiki's eyes widened. Talk? He had never spoken a word aloud in his life, he wasn't sure if his vocal cords even worked properly. Did he even know how to push air from his windpipe and create sounds? He opened his mouth, desperately trying to use his tongue and lips and create a sound, but the only thing coming from his mouth was horse squeaks, and raspy breathing. Kusuke pressed another button and Teruhashi's mouth opened in a scream that Saiki couldn't hear.

NO, Saiki stood up and pulled forward, almost succeeding in ripping the chains holding him back from the iron, but then Kusuke pointed the remote towards him, and the shocks coursing through him stopped him from being able to break free. He hung there, on the tips of his toes, opening and closing his mouth to try and form words to save her, but they just wouldn't come. Tears began dripping from the corner of his eyes. "Nnnn...ooo", It was the best sound he could make.

Teruhashi suddenly stopped thrashing and screaming, instead she was just panting heavily, recovering from her unexpected assault. Relief flooded through him, though his vision of Teruhashi was blocked a second later by Kusuke's beaming face. "You're first words little brother! My first words were the planet of Pluto is actually more similar to a meteorite than a planet, but no is a good start!"

He laughed and went to pull up his computer chair, sitting in it and then twirling again.

"Hmmm..." He hung his head back so that he was looking at his younger brother upside down every few seconds. "I guess since you managed to say something I can take this thing off and let you speak to me normally. But only because I'm the nicest big brother in the world." And just like that he dug his heels into the ground, stopping with his back to the monitor and still grinning as if this was just an average family reunion. He reached up and disconnected the horn from his skull. "Now then brother, do you have any questions?"

Where is she? Saiki ignored the pain in his skull.

"Not telling you, that's the whole point of the game," Kusuke laughed, "Next question."

What is wrong with you?

"Nothing. I'm a genius and a billionaire, I have figured out how to manipulate regular human's emotions to get them to do what I want. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just natural selection working at its finest." He shrugged and picked at his ear absentmindedly. "The only thing wrong is that I haven't managed to use all of my incredible talents to win in a game against you."

What happened to liking that I was the only one who could win against you? Saiki rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's really a win win for me isn't it? If you win against me then I redouble my efforts for the next time and therefore provide myself with something to do, and if I win, then I win. I achieve my life's purpose and retire in peace with my billions." Kusuke smiled kindly at his little brother, "I'll even fund your funeral."

You're insane.

"That's not a question. Are we done here then?"

Saiki's eyes flicked over to Teruhashi on the monitors. What's the rules of the game?

Kusuke's eyes lit up, "I knew you'd want to play with me little brother. Alright, get this." He swung around in his chair and clicked several buttons on the remote so that the monitors switched away from Teruhashi and each showed a different area in the major parts of Hidarwakibara Town. It all felt very familiar to the scavenger hunt that Kusuke had sent him on the year before. That seemed a little too easy though. Even with the horrible new antennas stuck to his head, he could whiz through those challenges. After all he had completed them already, he knew what was waiting for him, and how to achieve the goal. But Kusuke was more cunning than that... he had to remain on his guard.

"Normally, I give you challenges and time limits that you can try and outsmart me on," Kusuke swung back around to face his brother, "But we're going to do something different this time." He grinned, "The name of the game is Cowboys and Indians."

You mean the children's game that normal humans play during recess?

"Sure, I might have gotten some inspiration from that," Kusuke shrugged, "But it's mostly because of the look of the Mech fighting suits I made."

Mech... fighting suits. Saiki turned his attention away from his brother and back to the monitors. There on the screen was what awaited him. Four fights. Each most likely harder than the last, each mechanism built by his brother to destroy him, and each sporting a rather ridiculous top that made the whole thing look like a cowboy from the wild wild west. Kusuke clearly had a theme to this trial. The innocent people in the town likely had no idea the danger that was behind these metal beasts, as they laughed and took pictures with them, like they were just ordinary statues. Or modern art.

"You see Kusuo, these machines will really give you a run for your money. And inside each one is a clue to where Teruhashi is," Kusuke looked incredibly proud of himself, "Don't bother trying to read my mind for her location either, I paid someone and gave them a telepathy blocker. They took her somewhere that neither of us know the location of. But, with all my remote controlled goodies, she is still very much in danger. So I guess time is technically of the essence."

Ok, There was nothing else to do but play the game and save her, so he wanted to start now. Take these shockers off of me and let's go.

"Take them off?" Kusuke tilted his head and grinned deviously at his brother, "What are you talking about? Those have to remain firmly in place or else I will do some horrible and painful things to your girlfriend. It's only fair."

Fair? You think it's fair to make me fight four mechanical monsters while in extreme pain?

"If you weren't weakened then you would just destroy them all with a flick of your finger," Kusuke rolled his eyes, "I'm a genius, I know what's fair better than you do."

Saiki just glared, he had no options but to fight. To fight through the pain in his skull and take down the machines as quickly as possible. Alright fine, where's the first fight?

"It's right outside, my dear brother," Kusuke pointed his remote at the wall behind Saiki and it suddenly started spreading apart, with loud mechanical whirring sounds. Bright sunlight shone into the weird makeshift lab they were in, Saiki squinted a bit and when his vision finally focused he saw they were in the park.

What did you take over the bathrooms or something? Saiki sighed and his brother snickered behind him, Ok, let's get this over with, let me out.

"You can get yourself out brother. Don't try and hold onto your strength, it won't matter anyway." Kusuke clicked another button and the first mech whirred to life, lighting up and then taking loud thundering steps towards Saiki's cage.

A large metal fist crashed down, exactly where Saiki had been mere moments before. It bent, and then snapped the bars as well as the chains linking him to the cage. Being a man of action more than words, the younger of the two brothers had already snapped his chains and teleported to the other side of the mechanical beast, which immediately turned, as if sensing his presence, and began its attack again.

"Woah! Mom the statue's moving! I think they're going to do a show!"

"Really? That's amazing! Quick honey come look."

Good Greif.

He had ready forgotten they were in a crowded park. His brother was giving him a choice. Fight quickly and save Teruhashi or keep his powers hidden from the world. Saiki dodged another swing from the mechanical monster. The joke was on his brother though because he had already thought of 142 ways out of this situation, and the easiest one was already staring up at him as he dodged blow after blow.

"Hey, is that master? What kind of magic show is he doing Michael?" Chono scratched the underside of his top hat, glancing over at his magicians assistant. The two of them had set up shop in the park today to try and get some donations to their next magic performance by preforming small tricks for children, though currently their audience was much more captivated in the fight than them. Though Chono supposed it was rather normal for his master, Saiki, had been running into them frequently for several years now, and if there was ever a chance to upstage them and inspire them to work harder to become better magicians, the pink haired teen always seemed to take it. For Saiki the miracle here was that if there was anyone that would jump to the wrong conclusion (like thinking real supernatural tricks were just illusions) when seeing something truly impossible happen, it was the clueless magician, Chono, and his formerly homeless assistant Michael.

"Huh? Magic show?" A young woman near the magical duo blinked in surprise. "This is a magic show?"

Chono beamed at her, excited to have any attention at all, as most performers would be, "It must be, my master is the greatest magician I have ever met. You won't believe your eyes when you see... Uh... Whatever it is you are about to see."

Saiki almost sighed in relief at those words as he managed to slide low enough to barely miss getting his head knocked off, and the crowds murmuring turned to exactly what he needed. Prepare to be amazed, he thought dryly, gripping the ankle of the mech tightly, I owe you one Chono.

There was a flash of blue light and then the master of magic and the western theme mech vanished.

...

...

...

"THAT'S MY MASTER!"

"THANK YOU MASTER, FOR INSPIRING ME ONCE AGAIN TO BECOME AN EVEN BETTER MAGICIAN THAN I AM RIGHT NOW!"

The crowd in the park burst into uproarious disbelief at what they had just witnessed. Immediately going to their phones and the internet and talking about the fantastic pink haired magician and his incredible display. From the disguised again public washrooms, Kusuke looked rather shocked as well. Leaning against the door for support, and just downright amazed at how lucky his brother really was.

He supposed it was a good thing he had planned a second little surprise then.


	20. A Friend In Need

Ch. 20 A Friend In Need

The news of the amazing magician in town, had already spread to the four locations the fighting mechs had been left by Kusuke. This made things rather easy for the younger Saiki, or at least easy in the sense that he could keep his powers hidden from the public. All he had to do was teleport near by unnoticed, get into a quick dodge for dodge combat with each machine, then finally grab onto a piece of metal after three minutes had passed and bam. A flash of blue light, the crowd goes wild, all the while Saiki had taken the danger far away from the crowds of people, and to a place he didn't expect anyone to come running to anytime soon.

The school.

Ok, so you're probably thinking P.K academy was actually a very stupid place to bring four, inhumanly large fighting machines to, but there are several good explanations for this. The first reason was simple; Saiki was tired and the school was close. He had placed each machine safely in the school gymnasium and tied them down with chains from the automotive classes, but that was only going to buy him so much time. He knew he was still going to have to fight each and every one of these beasts, but he was already sweaty, sore and used from 7 teleportations, and almost constant battery from the fake antenna on his head. In fact looking at him you could almost believe he had been hit by a truck, he was that worn down.

The second reason was it was the weekend. The school students and faculty had just barely returned from a three day trip, everyone was home relaxing after their flights. It was very plausible that he could finish these fights, and repair the damage before anyone heard or saw a thing. Though it would take a lot of effort and skill to do so, and the buzzing in his brain was not helping.

Saiki reached up and plucked the fake antenna out from his skull. It wasn't like it mattered, he thought, crushing them to dust in his palm. Most of the damage had already been done, and Kusuke was nowhere to be seen. He doubted his brother had eyes and ears on his school after all.

"Uh ah ah," Kusuke's voice snickered statically as a flat screen TV lowered itself slowly from the ceiling at the far end of the gym. Saiki whirled around, shocked and irritated. How was his brother getting the one up on his so often in this fight? "I said no taking those off Kusuo or I would do terrible things to your girlfriend. Now look at what you made me do." The older Saiki grinned evilly and flicked a sinister looking switch on the panel behind him, before sliding out of the way of the camera to let his brother get a good look at the monitor there.

There was a man, hidden completely by a cloak walking up to where Teruhashi lay trapped on the tracks. He didn't even hesitate a second before the goddess in chains before he lifted his heavy boot, and sent it stomping down on top of her ankle. Teruhashi's mouth dropped in a scream, tears seeping through her blindfold and down her cheeks. Her ankle very visibly twisted and broken. The man kicked her again before he stepped away and pulled a lever very clearly labeled train. Small pebbles and dirt began to rumble in the distance. Was this it? Was he too late? Panic swept through him, his gaze set on Teruhashi, wriggling in pain. No, he had to think. If she was on train tracks then that must mean she was outside right? And there had to be something in that image that he could use to teleport to her. Saiki focused on the surroundings around his girlfriend. Blue skies, reddish brown dirt, not a tree to be seen, but what looked like mountains in the distance. Teruhashi was tied up and placed on tracks just outside of a large, and dark looking stone tunnel. All very cliche.

A light began to creep closer through the tunnel. Saiki couldn't hear anything, but in his head he could imagine the sound of a train horn.

 _No!_ He didn't know where she was, she could be anywhere, what could he-

The man in the black cloak stepped out of the dark tunnel, holding a large flood lamp above his head. The hood previously hiding his face had slipped off, revealing metallic features, and wires protruding from his neck. The android stared, expressionlessly at the camera.

 _What..._ The shocked look on Saiki's face sent his older brother into a fit of laughter, which of course only served to make the younger, angrier. Saiki's hands curled into fists as he glared at the screen, the air around him crackling and sparking horribly as his rage built. _What the hell?_

"Oh man, the look on your face little brother is priceless," Kusuke wiped a tear away from his eye, "But I can still do you one better, check this out." He lifted a remote control with a grin and pointed it at the monitor behind him. The android helper immediately bent, putting down the flood lamp on the ground, before walking over to Teruhashi. It grabbed her by the hair and pulled her roughly to her feet, not caring about the pain of her ankle as it forced her to stand.

Then it ripped off her face.

Saiki was getting very tired of this.

Teruhashi's beautiful skin had simply popped open, revealing more wires, and bolts and metal, and ugh. He had been a little surprised at his brother for torturing another human being, and it was in a way a relief to know that his girlfriend wasn't tied up, on train tracks, being electrocuted and having her bones broken. But, Kusuke still couldn't be trusted, and he still didn't know where Teruhashi was.

 _Where is she?_

"I can't hear you little bro," Kusuke chuckled, amused greatly when Saiki's face appeared zoomed in as he flew up towards the lowered flat screen, anger radiating through him still. "But I assume you want to know where your girlfriend is, right?" Saiki nodded. "Ok, well that's easy. Fight my mechs and figure it out for yourself. Oh and the clock is still ticking."

Great, so he was running out of time. He lifted one arm, not taking his eyes off the screen, and began charging a ray of energy at the first machine, which was about to break free of his binds.

"WAIT!"

Saiki hesitated, just long enough for the machine to burst free from the chains and lurch towards him. The ray of energy shot out where the heart of the machine once was, though not a kill, it was still a hit, grazing the arm of the beast near the wrist and taking the whole hand off with it. The machine fell back from the strike and Saiki took the time to look over at his interrupter.

Auira and Toritsuka stood, panting heavily in the gym doorway. A reminder of betrayal bubbled in his gut, and Saiki turned away, readying another attack, "Wait, Saiki please! Turn on your x-ray vision, Kaido is in there you're going to kill him!"

 _What?_!


	21. Is A Friend Indeed

Ch. 21 Is a Friend Indeed

Auira and Toritsuka stood, panting heavily in the gym doorway. How they had managed to arrive so quickly was unknown, and honestly unimportant. Though they looked really rundown, and they were still in their clothes from however many hours or days had passed since Saiki had been knocked unconscious. But it didn't matter, he had much bigger fish to fry at the moment. Saiki turned away, readying another attack, "Wait, Saiki please! Turn on your x-ray vision, Kaido is in there you're going to kill him!"

 _What?_ Saiki glanced back at Auira, but his distraction was enough for the mech to hit him across the face. Metal bits where the hand had once been sliced into his cheek, and smashed his glasses as the blow sent Saiki flying into the basketball net at the other side of the gymnasium.

"Woooo! Two points!" A buzzer blared through the gym as Kusuke cheered on screen.

Saiki gritted his teeth in annoyance and touched his broken glasses, reversing time on them to send the glass flying back into place, and keep his ally's safe from turning into stone. Then he flipped the switch, allowing his x-ray vision to putter back into existence. To his horror, the fortune teller was telling the truth. In a cavity built specifically to hold a human body, his friend Shun Kaido was sleeping. Or more likely drugged, and unconscious. The ray of energy had just barely missed taking out his entire right arm, though it had caused some metal to slice into the boy's tricep, and blood was now sliding down his wrist, out of the hole where the mechanical hand had been, and onto the floor.

The mech swung at Saiki again, but he was able to dodge this by sliding through the basket ball net, and landing a meter or so away. But the machine swung again, and with the added ammunition of not wanting to hurt his friend, Saiki took this hit, right to his gut and got launched once more across the gym. Slamming first into the high wall before sliding down ungracefully into a rack of basketballs.

"Well great, your gypsy has spoiled my fun," Kusuke sighed, though he still looked pretty cheerful as he snickered to himself about his brother's landing, "And I went through such great lengths to hide this part from her."

"Yeah well it was kinda hard not to notice my friends missing from the plane you jackass," Auira hissed through her teeth.

 _Friends plural?_

"I never should have helped you from the beginning! You're insane!"

 _Friends plural?_ Saiki dodged another rough hit from mechanical Kaido, levitating up where he assumed was a safe distance and quickly scanned the others. Nendou, Aren and Chyio were all stuffed inside cavities of their own. _Good Grief, what a pain._

Toritsuka began to flap his arms around wildly, "Um guys... I really think we got trouble here." He was motioning towards the mechanical Nendou, just in time for it to break free from its chains and begin to rush towards Saiki. If matters weren't bad enough, the mechanical Kaido was now charging what looked like a light beam from its uninjured hand, making the ceiling part of the war zone as well, as it blasted past Saiki's shoulder and sent broken parts of the infrastructure crumbling down below. "Auira what are we gonna do? He can't take on all four of those things!"

Suddenly, Saiki appeared in front of them, grabbing both of their wrists there was a flash of blue and then they were all standing in Class 3. Saiki, panting heavily, glowered at the two of them, mustering up as much intimidation and seriousness he could. _The two of you are going to have to distract them._

"What!" Toritsuka was already trembling at the thought, "Saiki, I can't take out one of those nutty things your brother made are you insane!"

"He doesn't want us to take them out, just keep them distracted enough so he can fight them one on one," Auira clicked her tongue impatiently, though she too was sceptical of her ability. "We can do that." They had to. She had to.

 _You better,_ Saiki choked down his anger at her, still burning under the surface for starting all of this. She was trying to redeem herself, he could see that, and hear it in her thoughts. Which meant she had removed the ring Kusuke had given her that he only just now realized was a thing. It suddenly felt like it had been so long since he had sensed her thoughts... he allowed some of his anger towards her to flutter away. _We don't have a lot of time, Teruhashi is in danger._

Auira nodded, ignoring Toritsuka who was still shaking his head no, "We won't let you down. What do you want us to do?"

Saiki glanced at the clock, _we have roughly two minutes to come up with a plan and then I am going to teleport back to the gymnasium. Mechanical Nendou is wreaking havoc there still. The other two are searching for me through the school._

"So we just need to keep them away from you until you, what, dismantle them?" Toritsuka grimaced, "What about our friends inside?"

 _Don't worry, I'll get them out._

"We know you will," Auira hesitated, before smiling widely, "What do you need? Five, ten minutes?"

 _Per machine._

"So... one of us will be distracting those things longer?" Toritsuka trembled, "What if they hit us? We don't have super strong bodies like you do."

 _They won't hit you._ Saiki glanced at the clock again, _Time's up._ Then he was gone, nodding to his ally's solemnly like a soldier going to war. Toritsuka and Auira looked at each other.

"I guess this is what we were training for," He whispered to his blond bombshell friend. "Didn't think it would be this soon."

"Oh..." Auira smiled sadly at him, "Shut up. We can do this." " _I will not let Saiki down again."_

 _I know._

"Hey! Fatso, over here!" Auira waved dramatically at the mechanical Aren she had found wandering around the cafeteria searching for Saiki, "Yoo Hoo!" The beast raised its head to look at her, and then turned away disinterested. She huffed, and stomped her foot. "Oh come on, don't you at least want to try and get rid of me? Or hurt me enough that Saiki will come in and save me?" The beast raised its head again, "That's right you brat," Grinning she picked up a lunch tray and threw it like a frisbee so it thunked against the metal head entrapping her friend. "COME AND GET ME!"

It lurched, but Auira was quicker. Using every last bit of fortune telling she had under her belt she dived, ducked, dipped and dodged every attack at the last second, allowing it to smash tables, chairs and walls in its wake, as long as it wasn't her body.

"Ok," She panted to herself, sliding around the corner of the hallway as she ran from the cafeteria, "If I can just keep this thing after me for five minutes." She started running towards the stairwell, barely escaping the beast as it punched through the wall to her left. " Oh fuck... hurry guys."

Meanwhile back in a different part of the school, near the entrance, Toritsuka was nervous. He turned to the ghost at his right, a fit young man in his late twenties with a gold medal hanging from his neck. "You sure you can help me outrun this thing?"

The ghost nodded, "I got the gold medal in every track event my country ever had. I've got you kid."

Toritsuka took a deep breath, "Ok... Ok let's get ready to do this then. Are you guys ready?" A small crowd of about 12 other ghosts all nodded eagerly, all similarly dressed in running clothes and ready to replace the gold medalist in their medium friend if, god forbid, the need arose. "Ok... Let's do this!"

The ghosts took off watching from a safe distance as their purple haired leader began throwing forgotten umbrellas at the head of the mechanical Chyio.

"Oi! Oi! Come and get me you bucket of bolts!"

One of the umbrellas knocked off the ridiculous looking cowboy hat atop the machine's head. It caught it before it could reach the floor, and placed it back where it belonged slowly, focusing its gaze on Torisuka. He swallowed hard, "Ok now!" The gold winner possessed Toritsuka's body, changing his face dramatically as his whole personality shifted. "I guess the race track is the best place for me, keep up guys," the medium called to his ghost comrades and then darted out of the entrance, leading the mechanical Chiyo out to the running tracks.

Saiki had to be quick. He had already managed to rip out the power source in Mechanical Kaido before the P.K Psychic trio even had their little meeting in class three, (not that the other two had noticed his quick skills). But mechanical Nendou was proving to be much more of a challenge. Was it because the machine was built bigger so it could hold Nendou's massive frame? Was it worry for who could realistically be considered the first person who had ever called Saiki a friend?

 _No it's none of that_ , Saiki panted lightly, rubbing at the fresh cut mechanical Nendou had managed to scrape against his cheek and healing it before any blood could drip. _I'm just trying to buy the others time._ He crossed his eyes, making sure they had fulfilled their promise. Auira risked being cornered by Mechanical Aren in the women's bathroom on the third floor, but she had gotten it far out of the way of the gymnasium and Toritsuka who was running in circles around his mechanical Chiyo outside at the running track outside. _I think we're good here._

Dodging the next attack before the human eye could even see movement, Saiki flew up behind the Mechanical Nendou and punched through the metal and wires, pulling out what appeared to be the most important of the bunch. The machine whirred to a stop and fell over with a crash, but Saiki didn't have the time to cheer. He ripped the mechanical Nendou and the mechanical Kaido to pieces until he had both of his friends, safe and unharmed away from any metal. He healed the cut, still oozing blood from Kaido's arm and then he teleported to the roof of the school, leaning them against one another at the doorway. He gave himself a second to think, and to breathe before going into to tackle the other two.

He glanced down at the racing track, a blur of purple and a blur of silver all you could see, just going round and round the track. _Well... since he's right here._ He jumped.

Toritsuka wasn't actually sure what just happened. One second he was running for his life, or rather the gold medalist ghost was running, for Toritsuka's life. Then the next second the mechanical Chyio was on the ground, in pieces. Saiki stood over the huge chunk of scrap metal, and damn if he didn't look worse for wear. It was actually really frightening to see an all powerful psychic look this beaten up. There was even still bits of dried blood from his face where he hadn't been able to heal his injuries fast enough.

Saiki raised an eyebrow at him, _Is my appearance really that concerning to you?_

"Yes," Toritsuka breathed out heavily, "You look like you're going to pass out."

 _So do you, do you even realize how many miles you just ran?_

The thought hadn't actually occurred to him. Toritsuka suddenly keeled over, wheezing pathetically as his entire body suddenly felt like he had been hit by an eighteen wheeler. "S-saiki... go on without me..." He tried to reach up his arm weakly, but began to cough as his lungs burned for air. Saiki rolled his eyes, carefully removing Chiyo out of the rubble, before he scooped up Toritsuka as well and jumped back up to the roof.

 _Now I have four friends passed out on top of each other on the roof of the school,_ Saiki cracked his neck, he was really starting to feel weak. Keeping his powers in check, without his real antenna, as well as using his powers over and over and over and over again... He felt a little faint.

But he couldn't focus on that right now. Somewhere in the world a beautiful angel awaited him to rescue her, and even closer a good friend needed his help. It had been three minutes, but he was getting really sick of teleporting so Saiki just walked over to the corner of the roof and punched down. Breaking a hole through the ceiling so he could drop through the woman's bathroom below.

"Saiki!" Auira breathed out a sigh of relief, "You're just in time," She squeaked, jumping just in time to dodge what would have been a blow to the knees, "Help!"

There was a cut on her leg that was bleeding pretty badly, but didn't look serious, and the sink to her right had been destroyed, along with the door. Water was spurting everywhere, soaking the fortune teller and her attacker. Mechanical Aren reached out a hand and tried to swipe at Auira, but Saiki was faster. He ducked below one arm of the beast and then rounded on its back, punching through the now familiar place that held the source of the things power. One quick rip and mechanical Aren was whirring to a stop, finally getting the punk to stop fighting. The machine teetered on its feet and then fell backwards.

 _Crap, well that's new,_ But Saiki was too tired to dodge. The heavy metal crashed through the wall of the bathroom, trapping Saiki underneath it with wall and floor behind him, and junk on top. The wind whooshed from his gut, and left the psychic teen coughing up blood. "Saiki! Are you ok?" Auira called from around the corner, trying to peer past the dust and debris in the air. "Are you hurt?"

 _Yes, but I'm fine,_ Saiki gritted his teeth and pushed against the machine above him, lifting it just enough that he could slide out from underneath it. _Are you hurt?_

"Um... maybe." Auira coughed and chuckled weakly, "I didn't think it was that serious though." She was breathing hard now, staring down at the cut on her leg and the pool of blood beneath her. She was feeling dizzy, and was that bone?

Saiki raced around the corner and stopped in front of her, also breathing very hard. They stared at each other for several long seconds and then he fell to the ground on his knees before her and hauled her into his arms, holding her tight. Auira's eyes went wide. " _My vision..."_

 _What?_

Her fingers dug into the back of his shirt, and she hugged him back just as tightly, tears began to well up in her eyes, " _Nothing. I'm sorry Saiki. I'm so so sorry."_

He held onto her a little tighter, _I know._

After another second or two Saiki pulled away and placed his hands on her wound, reversing time wasn't going to be of much help here as she would just wind up suddenly bleeding walking down the street the next day, but he wanted to at least give her body all its blood back before he did anything. So he reversed time anyway.

 _You'll have to go to the hospital tomorrow before it gets this bad and get it bandaged,_ He glanced up at her as the blood slunk back into her wound, _I can't heal something this bad._

She nodded, "Ok. Come on, let's get Aren out of there and go find your girlfriend."

Saiki smiled, _O-_

"Ack!" Auira screamed as Saiki suddenly feel face first into her stomach. "Saiki?" She shook his shoulder, before rolling him off of her and onto his back. His eyes were rolled into the back of his head, and his mouth was hanging open with drool slowly seeping down his chin. Sweat dropped down Auira's forehead, "Oh... he passed out."


	22. How It Should Have Happened, Part 1

Ch. 22 How it Should Have Happened Part 1

 _Am I dead?_ Saiki wondered aloud to no one in particular, glancing behind him to make absolutely sure he was alone. There was nothing behind him but clouds, and more nothing. He looked down at his body. There was a little blood seeping through his shirt at his shoulder, and his clothes were destroyed with dirt and grease, but he didn't seem dead. He didn't really feel dead either. Not that he was really sure what dead even felt like. No, he just had a splitting headache. If he was dead he probably wouldn't be feeling anything at all. Had he tried to teleport and ended up here? No that didn't make sense. What had he been doing before this? Fighting... fighting what. His brother? No, that didn't make sense either.

Ok, time to really think. Saiki rubbed his chin and closed his eyes. Teruhashi was involved... kidnapped. Yes, kidnapped by his brother to torture him. So he had been fighting his brother. No wait... he had been fighting his brother's machines. With the P.K trio? Right so why was he here now?

He glanced down at himself again. God he was really beaten up. The fight must have been some awful to have left him in this state. So it was obvious then.

He was unconscious from using too much of his strength. Good Grief.

Saiki was furious. Teruhashi still hadn't been saved and he didn't have time for whatever hell god had decided to put him through this time. Besides, he flexed a few muscles to make sure everything worked, he was capable of fighting, and winning against his brother. He just had to figure out a way to get back to the fight, and off of these clouds. He knelt down on one knee, feeling the soft fluffy white of the "ground" below him. He pushed on it gently, sinking his hand into the cotton candy like clouds. His arm sunk in right up to his elbow with no end in sight. He frowned and removed his arm, lifting his fist into the air. One solid punch would probably be enough to blast a hole in whatever-

"Wait, Kusuo, before you go," A voice pierced out of the nothingness and startled Saiki. He turned quickly, fist still raised and watched cautiously as an old man in red robes approached him. The old man carried a withered, wooden staff, and had a beard so long that it dragged against the clouds behind him as he walked. Saiki wasn't quite sure how he could walk properly with such a long beard, but the man didn't stumble, only smiled brightly and kindly as he approached the younger man. "Before you go, child, I need to apologize."

 _Who even are you?_ Saiki raised to his feet so he could fully to face the man.

The man's smile faltered slightly, and a sadness shined through his green eyes. "I am the reason you have been put into this mess."

 _No, that was my brother,_ Saiki glowered, suddenly threatened by the man, _Unless you're working for him, and I've just fallen into another trap afterall?_

"No, no, of course I don't work for your brother child!" The man reached forward and clapped Saiki's shoulders, "I am what is known in your world as God."

Saiki blinked at the man several times, saying nothing.

"Yes," God sighed, "I know it is hard to believe. But surely, someone with so much power must understand the possibility of my existence."

Saiki blinked some more.

This time God laughed, "Very well child, you may continue to be stunned and confused. Just let me continue my apology. You see," God flicked his staff and clouds shifted through the air to form an armchair for him to sit in. He lowered himself into the seat with a groan, "I meddled with your relationship with Kokomi."

That finally snapped Saiki from his daze, _What? Why would you do that?_

"Because child, Kokomi is undoubtedly my favorite fallen angel. It was a sin to allow her to be re-born on earth instead of the heavens, and I must admit," He smiled sheepishly at Saiki, "I am rather invested in her happiness."

Saiki rolled his eyes, _So god really has been on her side all this time._

"For some things. Small things that I can change to make her life easier. I dare not change anything too grand, otherwise I could change the happy course her future is currently on."

 _Ok,_ Saiki frowned, _So why and how did you meddle with our relationship? Is it even real?_

God stroked his beard slowly, "Of course it's real child! Everything you feel for her is of your own free will, I cannot change that. As for the meddling. Well... I did not believe it would change too much. All I did was have her stumble upon you and that Volcano. The discovery of your powers led to your friendship and then your relationship much sooner than it would have naturally happened. Sparing you both years of suffering, for not being with each other."

 _So, we would have ended up together regardless?_

"Oh yes Child, the two of you have been destined for each other for centuries. You always find your way back to one another." God sighed sadly, "The other deities and angels like to watch the relationship unfold, but this time you were taking so long to find each other properly. We had no idea the difference it would make."

Saiki's head was starting to hurt. _For centuries? What does that even mean..._

God smiled at the boy, "It means the two of you are soul mates. You're the night to her day, the water to her fish, the air to her sky."

 _Why am I all the bad ones in this scenario,_ Saiki rolled his eyes. _Also, why should I believe that soulmates are real? And if we always found each other does that mean,_ He glanced down at his hands, _Have I, or other versions of me always had these powers?_

"Unfortunately you ask me too many questions child," God sighed and sat back in his chair, "I cannot answer many of these things the way in which you want me to. Even knowing I exist, when you wake up you may try and convince yourself that this was all a dream and that I don't exist after all, and of course this is your own free will to do so. It is the same with the question of soulmates, if you want to believe that soulmates exist then believe they exist, no matter what an old man amongst the clouds tells you. For really, love is different to every heart that gets the honor to feel it."

Saiki blinked twice, _So you can't really tell me anything?_

God sighed, "Go on child, ask me one question and I will do my best to give you what you seek."

Just one question. That hardly seemed fair. Here Saiki stood, a teenage psychic in front of god himself, and he was only allowed to ask one question when he had so many. Where did his powers come from? Was Teruhashi really an angel? Was there a way to rid himself of his powerful curse? Was there something extraordinary about his parents that caused the likes of Kusuke and Kusuo, two brothers more advanced than any other human on earth right now? But he supposed there was one other thing that was really bothering him now that he thought about it.

 _You said that you changed our fates, and therefore what my life was supposed to be like._ Saiki tilted his head slightly, _What was it supposed to be like?_

God glanced up at Saiki, meeting his eye, and smiled, "Well, hold tight. I'll show you." And then he tapped his staff three times, and Saiki fell through the clouds.

"Yo, Saiki wake up," Someone was shaking him, "It's the first day of classes, you gotta wake up."

 _Kaido?_ Blearily, Saiki opened his eyes to see Kaido staring down at him. _What time is it?_

"7 a.m buddy," Kaido clapped his hands together, "I let you sleep in. Now come on, you don't even have your glasses on."

 _What!?_ Saiki panicked and sat up immediately, covering his eyes with his hands so Kaido wouldn't turn to stone. _Where are my glasses Kaido?_

"Woah, chill man," Kaido handed the green lenses to his friend, "Why are you freaking out?"

 _Look me in the eye and find out,_ Saiki grumbled pushing his glasses onto his face. He took a good look around. Clearly he was in a dorm room. Apparently, his dorm room. Or, his and Kaido's?

" _Yes Saiki. After you were finally able to stop the volcano from erupting and allow time to move forward, you had to pick a college to go to. You picked an average grade, middle class school not far from home, and Kaido did as well, not wanting to go to the higher end schools his mother expected of him, and struggle for the rest of his life. He is currently majoring in Theatre and Film courses and you applied to major in Literature."_ God's voice rang out through his head, and Saiki pinched the bridge of his nose.

 _Alright, sure why not._ Rooming with Kaido did not sound fun to him. Alternative universe him really should of thought about how much extra work he was going to have to put in everyday just to not reveal his secret to Kaido. How had that ever sounded like a good idea to anyone?

Saiki got out of his little twin bed anyway, and got dressed quickly. Kaido had already dashed from the room saying something about meeting him for breakfast in the mess hall, so it gave him a chance to breathe and get his head on straight. _Just so I know, is this little excursion you're showing me putting Teruhashi in danger, or is time paused or something?_

God laughed loudly in his mind, " _You think I would allow Kokomi to be in danger for this?"_

 _Right, just making sure,_ Saiki sighed and slipped out of his dorm room. It looked like he was just gonna be going along for the ride. When he finally found his way to the mess hall, flashed his student card to get in, and got in line for food, Saiki was already tired of this place. He still couldn't figure out why he wouldn't have just lived at home if the school was so close.

" _Blame your parent's child,"_ God's voice rang out again, " _Your mother in particular wanted you to at least try to have the college experience."_

 _Of course,_ Saiki sighed, already imagining it in his head. _That sounds exactly like something she would do._

"Excuse me, sorry, just trying to get to the notice board, pardon me," A familiar voice wafted through the others and hit Saiki's ears. He smiled at the sound, turning slightly to see Teruhashi trying to push her way through the line. She was carrying a lot of flyers under one of her arms, with a stapler clutched in her other hand. Her blue hair was cut short, stopping just before hitting her shoulders and she was wearing jeans and a pink blouse, very different from the usual school uniform he had seen almost every day, for close to six years. She looked frustrated as well, biting her lip and furrowing her brow as the line pushed back against her trying to get through. "No, seriously I'm just hanging up flyers for my professor, I am not trying to cut."

A girl behind Saiki snorted, "Listen here first year, you might be pretty, but the world isn't gonna always bow down and do what you say. Especially when food, and poor hungry college students are involved."

Teruhashi took a step back, a little stunned. Her lip wobbled and tears threatened to poor out over her cheeks, when, seeing her distress, several guys stepped out of the line to let her through. Saiki could already hear their thoughts, " _What a pretty girl." "She's so insanely gorgeous!" "Why didn't we notice her a second ago?" "Oh wow!"_ Teruhashi immediately brightened when she was able to get to the bulletin board, "Thank you all so much, I really appreciate it."

The girl behind Saiki rolled her eyes and looked down at her phone, but Saiki knew she was jealous of the attention the blue haired angel was getting. Most girls are.

Teruhashi quickly stapled a flyer for Education Majors on the bulletin board and then stepped away from the line, and out of people's way. That was when her blue eyes turned to him, and of course, lit up like a Christmas tree. "Saiki! Hey, you chose this college too?"

 _It was close to home,_ Saiki automatically replied, though he had wanted to say he could read her mind and knew she chose this college specifically because she knew he had chosen it as well.

She beamed at him, "Which dorm are you in? I'm in the all girls dorm at the edge of campus. The building is called Harrison."

 _I'm in a co-ed dorm. I don't know the name of the building, Kaido chose it._

"Oh, Kaido is here too? That's awesome! You'll have to let him know that Chiyo chose a college that's actually only 20 minutes away from here, they could hang out if he wanted," She chuckled and then shuffled her feet a bit. She was nervous. Saiki wasn't used to that anymore.

He glanced down at the flyers in her hands, _You're studying to be a teacher?_

Teruhashi followed his gaze and then nodded, "Yeah, I guess. I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life at all, but a calm, down to earth teaching job sounds really wonderful doesn't it?" " _Especially with all those adoring kids that will think I'm the perfect, prettiest teacher."_

Saiki smiled warmly at her, _Yeah, that actually sounds perfect for you._

Her cheeks reddened at his smile. Saiki guessed this Teruhashi probably wasn't used to that. He could hear her heart racing just a little faster in her chest. "Uhm, do you wanna get a coffee or something over the weekend to catch up? My treat." Was this it? She just asked him out in the mess hall? Teruhashi blushed a brighter red when he didn't answer, "As friends, of course."

Suddenly Saiki was bombarded with angry thoughts. All of the guys around him suddenly jealous and seething at the attention he was getting from their new found goddess. _"What a nerd, he's not good enough for a girl like that." "Pink hair? Please, that's not masculine at all." "If he hurts her feelings I will deck him in the-"_

 _Sure,_ He agreed, though he didn't really want to. But it was just like Teruhashi to almost accidentally start a fight in the cafeteria over some coffee. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and held it out to her, watching in amusement as she fumbled with her own, almost dropping her flyers, before handing it to him to exchange their numbers. When he gave her back her phone she held it close to her chest, both arms pushing it against her skin as she held her flyers tightly in an embarrassed hug.

"Thanks, I'll text you ok," He nodded and Teruhashi smiled before heading out of the building, several pairs of eyes following her as she left.

 _Ok,_ Saiki glanced up at the ceiling, _So she asked me out for coffee in college and that's how it happened? You could have just told me that._

" _That's not all that happened. We need to skip forward two years before anything really happens."_

The world began to spin, Saiki saw quick glimpses of college life unfolding before him, before they were lost in the swirl of colors surrounding him. Classes full of students, evenings with Kaido playing cards in their dorm, coffee with Teruhashi (quite regularly it seemed) and late nights at the library. Then it finally stopped, and he was sitting on his bed in his dorm room. His eyes were already trained on Kaido who was pacing back and forth through the tiny room. The air was tense.

"So our entire friendship has been a lie?"

 _What,_ Saiki blinked in confusion. _No, why would I lie about our friendship?_

"I dunno Saiki, why would you lie about your powers?" Kaido's voice rose and he glanced over at his friend. Their eyes met just long enough for Saiki to see the fear in them.

 _Oh._ Saiki was stunned, _He found out and now he's scared of me._

" _Yes,"_ God's voice boomed out as Kaido began pacing the room again, " _He walked in on you levitating a book of poems above your head. You were studying for a midterm, and you were feeling exhausted. Kaido started to piece together all of the weird things that happened around you during the 8 years he had been your friend. Sadly because Kaido Shun is a fearful man, some of the things you did were frightening to him."_

"I..." Kadio finally stopped pacing and sighed, running a hand through his overly messy hair, "I think I'm gonna sleep at Chiyo's tonight. We can talk about this later." He wouldn't even look Saiki in the eye, he just grabbed his dorm key, and the overnight bag he kept packed for weekends spent at his girlfriends (yes they were finally dating) and left. His thoughts confirmed that he had no intention of returning for awhile.

Saiki felt oddly depressed. Had he ever actually considered Kaido that much of a friend? Apparently at this point in his life he did, because here he was. Moping in his dorm room. All of Kaido's belongings around him were making him more sad, and weirdly ashamed at himself for being dishonest for so long. He needed to get out, do something to distract himself. And what was more college like, than drinking at a bar to forget your troubles?

 _Really... a bar?_ Though his thoughts were passive and not interested at all, Saiki was still just along for the ride in this alternate version of himself. And so he found himself grabbing his keys and heading out the door.

The bar closest to campus was always crowded, especially on Friday nights. But that was ok, Saiki wasn't here to socialize, and if there were more people around then the chances of someone singling him out was much, much smaller. But, just in case, he chose a seat right at the bar, closest to the washrooms. There he ordered three rounds of a coffee based liqueur, and slumped over, with his forehead pressed against the cool wood of the counter.

"Wow... it looks like you really had a tough night huh?" Teruhashi hopped up onto the stool next to him and smiled at the bartender, "Can I get two of whatever he's having?"

"Oh wow," The bartender cheeks flushed a bright pink,"O-of course miss. Here, on the house." He placed down a full bottle of coffee liqueur, as well as a bottle of his finest vodka, "Also on the house of course."

Teruhashi smiled, but wrinkled her nose, "I'm not much of a vodka person myself, so I can't possibly accept that. Maybe some gin?"

"Yes!" " _I can't believe how pretty she is!"_ "Right away," The bartender replaced the bottle of vodka with a very expensive looking aged gin from his top shelf. "I hope you enjoy."

"Oh," Teruhashi giggled sweetly, tucking a loose hair back behind her ear, "We will, won't we Saiki?"

Saiki turned his head so his cheek pressed against the wood and looked up at his new drinking friend. Still sporting the short blue bob, but now dressed in a black skirt that barely reached her thighs and a lacy white tank top that clearly showed the very top of a periwinkle blue bra below, Teruhashi looked as stunning as ever. If maybe a little risque... He glanced over to the booths, not surprised to see the angry faces of several guys who had clearly targeted her to court tonight. Was that why Teruhashi was here? Actively seeking out a little college fun herself?

Saiki turned his gaze back to his friend, still not lifting his head from the counter. She smiled sweetly at him and nudged the coffee liqueur his way, "Drinking is always more fun with a friend." She looked so supportive and kind, but Saiki could hear that her thoughts were a little less innocent. " _Finally, a chance to be alone with Saiki. I'm looking my absolute cutest tonight, and I'm feeling confident. Maybe this will be the night that we-"_

His eyes lowered, slowly grazing up the skin of her bare legs as he took the drink and refilled his glass. _Yes... maybe it will._


End file.
